Policy

Zelensky imposes sanctions against Arestovych and blogger Oleshko

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council to impose personal sanctions against former freelance advisor to the head of the Presidential Office Oleksiy Arestovych and blogger Myroslav Oleshko.

This is stated in the Presidential Decree #267/2025, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.

According to the decree, Arestovych and Oleshko are to be deprived of state awards of Ukraine, their assets are to be blocked, their trade operations are to be restricted, and the transit of resources, flights, and transportation through the territory of Ukraine is to be stopped.

They should also not be allowed to distribute their media in Ukraine, and their licenses to carry out certain types of activities should be terminated.

In addition to Arestovych and Oleshko, sanctions were imposed on a number of other individuals and legal entities, including the son of former Prime Minister Mykola Nazarov, Oleksiy.

What is known about Arestovych?
Until January 2023, Arestovych was a freelance adviser to the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak. He was fired after he suggested in an interview with Mark Feigin that the deadly destruction of a house in Dnipro during a missile attack by Russian troops was caused by the occupiers’ missile being shot down by Ukrainian air defense forces.

Prior to that, Arestovych had repeatedly been in the media for his scandalous statements. For example, before the active war, he proposed renaming Ukraine and taking away the brand of “Russians” from Russia; he stated that Ukraine would reorient its interests to the East if the EU and the US continued the “practice of surrendering Ukrainian interests” and so on. In September 2024, Arestovych was caught up in a scandal over his statements about women.

Arestovych had previously confirmed that he now lives in New York, and investigative journalists from NGL.media stated that Oleksiy Arestovych had traveled abroad thanks to a letter from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Prior to that, he had traveled on the basis of a letter from the GUR and on the basis of decisions by the head of the State Border Guard Service as an advisor to the President’s Office, etc.

The GUR and the SBGS denied the journalists’ information, but the border guards did not disclose how Arestovych was able to leave. Despite his departure, he has repeatedly announced plans to participate in the next presidential election in Ukraine, calling it his “life goal.”

What is known about Myroslav Oleshko?

Meanwhile, Myroslav Oleshko is a blogger who went abroad with a fake certificate from the military medical commission and called on Ukrainian men to hide from mobilization.