Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on Friday that has imposed sanctions on five Russian cultural figures who are involved with organizing the Russian Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The news was first reported by UA News.

They include Anastasia Karneeva, who is the commissioner of this year’s Russian Pavilion, and Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russia’s delegate for international cultural exchanges and a former culture minister.

In a release about the decree, the Ukrainian government characterized them as “figures who justify the aggression and spread Russian propaganda at international events. All of them are linked to the aggressor state’s participation in the 61st Venice Biennale.”