On Wednesday, the United Kingdom enacted sanctions against eight Russian individuals and three organizations, accusing them of involvement in the purported forced relocation and “indoctrination” of Ukrainian children.
These measures aim to disrupt a network of officials and state-supported entities that the UK claims are integral to a systematic initiative to transfer children from occupied regions of Ukraine to what British authorities refer to as “re-education camps” in Russia.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated, “It is unacceptable to take a child from their home and attempt to erase their heritage and upbringing through falsehoods and misinformation. No child should ever be a tool of war, which is why we are holding those accountable for these actions.”
According to estimates from the UK Foreign Office, nearly 20,000 children have been forcibly relocated to Russia since the invasion in 2022, with approximately 6,000 sent to “re-education camps.”
Included in the list of those sanctioned are Aymani Kadyrova, mother of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, and the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation that she oversees. Other designated entities include the state-funded groups Volunteers of Victory and the government-backed youth organization Movement of the First.
The sanctioned individuals also comprise Zamid Chalaev, a Chechen police commander; Valery Mayorov, director of the government-supported Teenage Programs Center; and Anastasia Akkuratova, head of children’s rights at the Russian Education Ministry. Additionally, at least two high-ranking officials from Tatarstan were impacted by the sanctions.
The British government indicated that these latest sanctions are based on defense intelligence, highlighting a prolonged Russification campaign in illegally occupied territories of Ukraine aimed at erasing Ukrainian culture, identity, and sovereignty.
In response, Moscow has denied the accusations of forcibly taking children from Ukraine, claiming that their actions are intended to ensure the safety of these children by relocating them away from conflict zones.
In 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) rejected Moscow’s justification, issuing arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and his children’s rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, due to their involvement in the alleged forced relocations.
