Sanctions against Bohdan Pukish may be reviewed as early as this week
As early as this Friday, the issue of revising or lifting sanctions against businessman Bohdan Pukish may be considered. This is according to media reports citing their own sources.
As a reminder, sanctions against Bohdan Pukish were imposed by a decision of the National Security and Defense Council and enacted by a decree of the President of Ukraine on May 2, 2026.
The restrictions are set for a period of 10 years and include the freezing of assets, restrictions on trade transactions, a ban on capital outflows, and other sanctions measures.
At the time, the Office of the President described Bohdan Pukish as a “partner and associate of Viktor Medvedchuk, who is also subject to sanctions.”
According to a source interviewed by the publication, the possible review of the sanctions is causing a public outcry.
“The capital was hit again last night. This is the true price of our independence from Russia. The president imposed sanctions against Bohdan Pukish—a man linked to Viktor Medvedchuk, who holds a Russian passport and whose company was involved in the scandal over the supply of defective mortar ammunition to the army. According to our information, certain influential individuals may have a financial stake in this project, including businessman Shtilerman and Umerov himself, who are linked to the ‘Midas’ case,” the source noted.
The source also added that while Ukrainians are dying every night under Russian missile strikes, questions arise about the consistency of the government’s sanctions policy.
The name Bogdan Pukish became widely known following the scandal surrounding 120,000 Ukrainian-made 120-mm mortar rounds, which, according to investigations, were found to be unfit for use and could pose a danger to Ukrainian troops.
In May 2025, journalists published an investigation into substandard ammunition allegedly manufactured at the Pavlohrad Chemical Plant. Following this, law enforcement officials reported the arrest of company officials and representatives of the Ministry of Defense who were responsible for accepting the products.
According to journalistic investigations, among the suppliers of components for these munitions was the private enterprise “Vestkhim,” which is linked to Bohdan Pukish. It was reported that the company allegedly supplied casings and other components for mortar shells.
It was also noted that “Westhim” had been involved in fulfilling defense contracts for several years, and the total value of its deliveries could have reached 667 million hryvnias.
Open sources also contain information that in 2012, Bohdan Pukish allegedly coordinated the activities of the “Ukrainian Choice” movement in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, which was founded by Viktor Medvedchuk.
In addition, information circulated in the public sphere that Pukish holds a Russian passport, which, according to the authors of these reports, may indicate his citizenship of the Russian Federation.
According to sources, if the sanctions against Pukish are reviewed or lifted, this could mark the first instance of the lifting of personal sanctions imposed during a full-scale war against an individual whom the state had previously linked to Viktor Medvedchuk’s inner circle. According to the sources, such a move could raise questions about the consistency of Ukraine’s sanctions policy and the criteria for making such decisions.
Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed decrees enacting the National Security and Defense Council’s (NSDC) decision to extend sanctions against entities serving the Russian military-industrial complex and to impose sanctions on collaborators.
On July 1, the High Anti-Corruption Court approved a plea agreement in a case involving incitement to transfer $250,000 in illicit benefits in exchange for influencing the NSDC’s decision on sanctions against a competitor company. The investigation established that the scheme was organized with the participation of a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, who acted as the “guarantor” of the agreements.
