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Zelenskiy​ on February 3, the day after the president closed down TV stations associated with the party, which is unlikely to go anywhere as the opposition parties do not command enough votes in the Rada to put the motion through.
Under Ukrainian law Ukrainian citizens can only be sanctioned if they commit an act of terrorism. However, no such act has been described nor any terror charges brought against Medvedchuk. Secretary of the National Security Council Oleksiy Danilov ​said at a briefing​ that the restrictions are imposed for three years as part of the case on financing of terrorism.
The move was welcomed by Ukraine’s western supporters who have long been unhappy with Medvedchuk’s position at the summit of Ukraine’s domestic politics. The US embassy in Ukraine tweeted that it “supported” the decision to sanction Medvedchuk and pointed out that he was already under US sanctions.
Medvedchuk's wife Oksana Marchenko was also put on sanctions list, who is also the de jura owner of many of her husband’s businesses.
The new sanctions list additionally includes another Ukrainian citizen, five Russians and 19 companies. The decision of the National Security Council must be approved by the President of Ukraine.
Russia’s reaction to sanctions imposed on its ally in Kyiv was swift. Former Prime Minister, President and currently deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev​ ​called​ the imposition of sanctions against Medvedchuk a manifestation of the "political inquisition."
"The easiest way to divert attention from their endless failures is to persecute the opposition and subject it to repression. In addition, Viktor Medvedchuk is one of the few Ukrainian politicians who advocates the restoration of relations between Moscow and Kyiv. Such methods of unfair struggle are unlikely to stop the collapse in Zelenskiy’s approval ratings," Medvedev said as cited by the Ukrainian press.
Danilov said that property controlled by Medvedchuk and the others listed, who included five Russian citizens, would be seized by the state.
Ivan Bakanov, head of Ukraine’s SBU state security service, said the sanctions were imposed based on intelligence that the individuals and companies were involved in smuggling coal from eastern regions controlled by Russian-backed separatists. The ongoing investigation would “confirm financing of terrorism”, he said, as cited by the Financial Times.
The sanctions against Medvedchuk will only deepen a political crisis that has been gathering momentum since last autumn when the Constitution Court struck down a raft of anti-corruption mandated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Zelenskiy attempted to fire the judges responsible, for which he has no power to do so, and threatened to plunge Ukraine into a constitution crisis. The judges decision, five of which are under investigation for corruption themselves, was widely seen as handed down at the behest of the oligarchs.
That particular crisis has yet to be resolved. The attack on Medvedchuk’s media holding is seen by some as part of the same growing tension between the president and the oligarchs. Medvedchuk is also part of ower of the media
10​ UKRAINE Country Report​ March 2021 ​ ​www.intellinews.com