Imposed restrictive measures against Arestowicz by Zelensky

Fired Presidential Advisor Feels the Heat

Vladimir Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, has taken action against his former advisor, Oleksiy Arestovych, by slapping him with sanctions. Notably, the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) made this decision, and Zelensky himself confirmed it, with the details published on the presidential website.

For the next ten years, Arestovych will have to deal with these sanctions, which include freezing his assets, restricting his access to social media platforms, and preventing him from disseminating information within Ukraine.

This crackdown doesn't stop at Arestovych; political scientist Konstantin Bondarenko, who penned a book titled "Joker" about the Ukraine's president, found himself on the naughty list. So did Anastasia Kashirava, the founder of Daily Storm, as well as journalists Dmitry Vasylts, Miroslav Oleško, Pavel Onischenko, Alexander Semchenko, and Alexander Skubchenko.

Arestovych stepped down in January 2025 after questioning the collapse of an apartment building in Dnipro on January 14, 2023. He suggested it may have been due to a Ukrainian forces' rocket being shot down, a claim immediately contested by Ukraine and exploited for propaganda by Russia. Following his resignation and apology, Arestovych left Ukraine and began criticizing Zelensky and his policies.

Currently, Arestovich faces charges in Ukraine for false reporting and promoting violence and intolerance. In Russia, he was arrested in absentia in early 2024 for inciting terrorism and spreading false information about the army. Belarus opened a case against him in March 2022 for inciting terrorist acts on Belarusian railway facilities, carrying a potential prison sentence of up to five years.

In response to his arrest in Russia, Arestovich made light of the situation, commenting on his Telegram channel, "Russia united forever: Belarus - a criminal case for terrorism. Russia - for extremism. Ukraine - two for sexism. Where can a poor spy go? I'll try Afghanistan. They might give an order for that there."

These sanctions may seem harsh, but they stem from Arestovich's controversial resignation and the inflammatory claims he made about Ukraine. The specifics of the sanctions include freezing his assets, reversing any Ukrainian awards he might have received, and prohibiting commercial transactions involving him. No travel bans or exact sanction durations beyond ten years have been announced as of yet. [1][2]

Political scientist Konstantin Bondarenko, along with Arestovych, has been subjected to sanctions by the Ukrainian government, similar to those imposed on the fired presidential advisor.
Theannouncement of Oleksiy Arestovych's resignation in January 2025 was followed by a series of controversies, including accusations of false reporting and promoting violence.
In addition to Arestovych, bloggers and journalists such as Anastasia Kashirava, Dmitry Vasylts, Miroslav Oleško, Pavel Onischenko, Alexander Semchenko, and Alexander Skubchenko have also found themselves under scrutiny in the realm of crime and justice.
The general news and politics landscape has been significantly impacted by Arestovych's inflammatory claims about Ukraine, which sparked a chain of events leading to his resignation and subsequent sanctions.
The war-and-conflicts and crime-and-justice spheres have been intertwined in recent years, with figures like Arestovych playing a crucial role in shaping and influencing public opinion, often in a contentious manner.