The international working group on sanctions against Russia chaired by Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and Former US National Security Adviser, Ambassador Michael McFaul has prepared the Individual Sanctions Roadmap: Recommendations for Sanctions against the Russian Federation.
"It contains a basic list of Russian propagandists, opinion leaders, artists who generate and spread Kremlin propaganda narratives, lies about Russia's war against Ukraine and thus support policies aimed at undermining the territorial integrity, sovereignty, independence and security of our state. This list will be updated," the group's statement says.
The Individual Sanctions Roadmap singles out, in particular, "propagandists who consistently reproduce false narratives in line with Kremlin policy, laying the ideological foundation for Russia's war and concealing ongoing war crimes."
Propagandists are divided into two big groups: those who generate ideas for propaganda (ideologues, experts, scientists) and those who spread these ideas (journalists, artists and stars).
Disreputable think tanks (such as the Valdai International Discussion Club, the Izborsky Club, the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, the Russian Council on International Affairs and the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies have close ties to high-ranking officials, support the actions of the authorities, develop propaganda narratives. Among those involved in spreading information in support of the war with Ukraine are not only journalists or experts, but also those who are "soldiers" in this hybrid war. The Individual Sanctions Roadmap includes artists who are no less dangerous than corporate propagandists due to their ability to quickly and effectively spread propaganda.
"Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, many of them have visited the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, performed at concerts in support of Russia, or publicly supported the regime of the President of the Russian Federation and his war. Their activities are not related to journalism, freedom of expression or science, but purposefully help the efforts of the military-political leadership of Russia in Ukraine.
At the same time, most of them spend their vacations abroad, many own expensive real estate in Europe and the United States.
The international working group recommends that democratic countries around the world include in their sanctions lists those persons who have so far avoided it."
