European Union officials have called for sanctioning some of Russia’s most prominent TV personalities, including Pavel Zarubin, a state TV reporter known for fawning reporting on — and nearly unfettered access to — President Vladimir Putin.
The proposed measures, which were obtained by RFE/RL, include five other prominent Russians including Yekaterina Andreeva, another prominent TV host, as well as Sergei Polunin, a renowned ballet dancer who previously was the former principal at the Royal Ballet in London.
The measures are expected to be taken up by the full European Council, the EU’s executive body, as early as January 29 when foreign ministers from the bloc’s 27 members meet. Passage is not certain; a handful of EU members including Hungary and Slovakia have resisted some efforts in the past.
Since Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU has steadily expanded its list of targets it has hit with asset freezes or visa bans. The list now encompasses more than 2,500 individuals, companies, and other entities, with some 28 billion euros ($33 billion) in assets frozen.
These new proposed measures fall under a different rubric linked not specifically to the Ukraine war but more broadly to “Russia’s destabilizing activities.” Around 60 people and entities have been hit so far under this category.
Zarubin, who could not be immediately reached for comment, is a longtime TV reporter with Channel One, Russia’s largest state-owned TV network. The EU measure calls him “a prominent Russian propagandist.”
Zarubin hosts a regular TV show called “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin,” where his coverage of the Russian leader is frequently wide-eyed and obsequious.
He was the first person to host a televised interview with Putin after the start of the war, and last month, he hosted the annual call-in show known as “Direct Line With Vladimir Putin” where Putin spends hours fielding pre-screened questions — and basking in praise — ostensibly from average Russians.
Admiration For Putin
The Ukrainian-born Polunin was the youngest-ever principal dancer at London’s Royal Ballet with talent that some critics praised as being on par with Rudolf Nureyev or Mikhail Baryshnikov. He abruptly quit in 2012.
He later danced with lesser-known theaters in Moscow, appeared on a Russian TV reality show, and then recorded a viral YouTube video in 2019 dancing to a song called Take Me To Church by the Irish musician Hozier.
He drew controversy in 2019 for social-media posts discussing his dislike for gays and lesbians, while also trumpeting his admiration for Putin, whose face is tattooed on his chest. Since 2024, he’s been living in Israel.
The EU said it would targeting Polunin due to his support of, and fund-raising for, Russia’s military during the Ukraine war, “participating in Kremlin propaganda TV shows,” and criticizing Russian artists who left the country after the start of the invasion.
Andreeva has been a fixture on Russian state TV for decades, hosting the channel’s Vremya evening news bulletins, and hosting the “Direct Line” call-in show twice previously.
Last year, investigators from Aleksei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation reported that she held passports from Montenegro and Honduras, allowing her to travel freely in the EU and elsewhere.
Other figures targeted by the EU proposal include Roman Chumakov, a rapper known as Zhigan who writes and performs songs praising Putin; Maria Sittel, another TV anchorwoman on Channel One; and Dmitry Guberniev, a popular TV sports commentator.
Neither Sittel nor Guberniev, who have hosted patriotic pep rallies in support of Putin and the Ukraine war, could be reached for comment. Andreeva and Chumakov also could not be reached for comment.
The EU’s sanctions on Russia have frequently, though not always, been enacted in coordination with Western allies, including the United States and Canada.
In Washington, new legislation called the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 has gotten the green light from US President Donald Trump for passage, according to one of its Senate co-sponsors, Republican Lindsey Graham.
However, legislative negotiators have been making last-minute tweaks to the language, and it’s unclear when it will come up for a vote.
