Britain imposes sanctions on Russian officials for indoctrination of Ukrainian children
Photo: Britain imposes sanctions for deporting Ukrainian children (Getty Images)
The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on ten Russian officials and state-affiliated youth organizations involved in the forced deportation and ideological indoctrination of Ukrainian children, according to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
"New sanctions target those supporting Vladimir Putin’s attempts to forcibly deport and indoctrinate Ukraine’s children and erase their Ukrainian cultural heritage," the statement reads.
According to the FCDO, over 19,500 Ukrainian children have been forcibly removed or deported to Russia and temporarily occupied territories.
Approximately 6,000 children have been placed in re-education camps, where they undergo ideological indoctrination aimed at erasing their Ukrainian identity and instilling pro-Russian sentiments.
The Russian authorities have introduced Ukrainian children to an education program that rewrites the history of Russia and Ukraine, glorifies Russian military actions, and promotes loyalty to Russia. In some cases, the program includes military training.
"No child should ever be used as a pawn in war, yet President Putin’s targeting of Ukrainian children shows the depths he will go to in his mission to erase Ukraine and its people from the map," said Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
The sanctions package targets those facilitating this program, including the military-patriotic movement Yunarmiya, a paramilitary Russian organization central to Putin’s efforts to deport and ideologically manipulate Ukraine’s younger generation.
Among those sanctioned are:
Tetiana Zavalskaya was appointed by Russia as head of the Kherson Orphanage, from which 46 children were forcibly taken to Russia for adoption.
Vitaliy Suk, Director of the Oleshky Boarding School for Children with disabilities in Kherson, who allegedly used his position to facilitate the illegal removal of Ukrainian children with disabilities from the region.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Children’s Rights Commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova. The Hague-based court stated that they are responsible for war crimes, including the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from occupied Ukrainian territories to Russia.
