Ukraine on August 8 named 13 pro-Russian actors and singers who work would be banned from television and radio broadcasts and from cinemas – including France’s Gerard Depardieu.
The blacklist issued by Ukraine’s Culture Ministry described the 13 as "a threat to national security” for support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea and his support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Ministry spokeswoman Daryna Glushchenko said the airwaves ban and the withdrawal of permits for the screening of their films will go into effect in the near future.
Depardieu, a Russian citizen since 2013, angered Kyiv’s pro-Western leadership by striking up a close friendship with Putin and denying the existence of an independent Ukraine. Last month, Kyiv banned Depardieu from entering Ukraine for five years.
Others on the blacklist include the Russian singer and lawmaker Iosif Kobzon, who is targeted by European sanctions, and the Soviet-era film star Mikhail Boyarsky.