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The United Kingdom has sanctioned Russian ideologue Aleksandr Dugin, pro-war military blogger Mikhail Zvinchuk, and several Moscow- and Brussels-based media and influence operations — including the Kremlin-backed foundation Pravfond — imposing asset freezes and bans on the provision of trust services.
According to a financial sanctions notice, U.K. authorities designated Dugin and Zvinchuk as “involved persons” for promoting or overseeing policies that destabilize Ukraine and threaten its territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence. Zvinchuk is the director general of Rybar LLC, which runs the influential pro-war “Rybar” Telegram channel that provides battlefield updates and narratives aligned with the Kremlin.
The new measures also target Pravfond — formally the Foundation for the Support and Protection of the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad — and four affiliated entities: Euromore, Golos, Rybar LLC, and the Center for Geopolitical Expertise, a Moscow-based think tank founded by Dugin.
The U.K. says Pravfond has funneled money to Euromore and Golos, nominally independent Russian-language media outlets in Brussels, to spread Kremlin propaganda to European audiences while concealing their ties to the Russian state.
The sanctions notice states that all funds and economic resources belonging to the designated individuals and entities must be frozen, and that U.K. persons are prohibited from dealing with them or providing trust services without a license.
OCCRP and partners have previously revealed how Pravfond, created by Russia’s Foreign Ministry and the Rossotrudnichestvo agency, has quietly funded spies, criminal suspects, and propagandists under the guise of legal aid for “compatriots” abroad.
An investigation in the “Dear Compatriots” project showed the foundation supporting alleged intelligence officers, far-right activists, and pro-Kremlin media projects across Europe. Further reporting tracked how Pravfond’s grants built outpoints of influence and disinformation from the Baltics to the Balkans.
In November 2025, an investigation by RFE/RL’s Schemes project, based on a fresh leak of Pravfond emails, showed that the Kremlin-backed “legal aid” foundation also operated inside Ukraine. Under an internally labeled project called “Ukrainian Direction,” Pravfond allegedly funded a network of Ukrainian lawyers to compile reports for Russian authorities on supposed war crimes by Ukraine’s military and to advise men on how to avoid conscription — activities carried out under the cover of legal assistance.
Despite being sanctioned by the European Union in 2023 under its Ukraine-related measures, Pravfond continued to move money to allies across at least 11 EU member states, using intermediaries, foreign bank accounts, cash couriers, and other workarounds, as OCCRP and partners reported earlier this year.
Outside Europe, Australia also sanctioned Pravfond in 2025, citing its role in bankrolling legal support and lobbying for Kremlin-linked figures, including a prominent pro-Russia activist in Sydney.
