UK SLAPS SANCTIONS ON RUSSIANS OVER DEPORTATION OF UKRAINIAN CHILDREN

The United Kingdom has announced fresh sanctions against eight Russian individuals and three organizations accused of orchestrating the forced transfer, indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children from occupied territories.
The punitive measures, issued under the Russia Sanctions Regulations 2019 and the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018, include asset freezes and a ban on financial dealings with UK entities.
Among those targeted is Aymani Kadyrova, the mother of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, along with the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation, which London accuses of facilitating the relocation of children. Other sanctioned groups include the Kremlin-backed Volunteers of Victory and the Movement of the First, both linked to re-education programmes.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned Moscow’s actions, saying:
“To take a child from their home and seek to forcibly erase their heritage and upbringing through lies and disinformation can never be tolerated. The Kremlin’s policy of forced deportations, indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children is despicable.”
The latest sanctions add to international pressure on Russia, which faces accusations at the International Criminal Court (ICC) of committing war crimes over the deportation of thousands of Ukrainian minors.
According to Ukrainian authorities, more than 19,000 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-controlled areas since the start of the war in February 2022, with many placed in camps aimed at erasing their national identity.