UK sanctions those involved in Russia's systematic attempt to erase Ukrainian cultural and national identity.
- New sanctions target those supporting Vladimir Putin's attempts to forcibly deport and indoctrinate Ukraine's children and erase their Ukrainian cultural heritage.
- Package of 10 designations includes leading Russian officials and state-linked youth organisations.
- Announcement comes on 1000th day of Ukraine's fight against Putin's illegal full-scale invasion.
Ten perpetrators of the Russian state's forcible deportation and attempted indoctrination of Ukrainian children have been sanctioned today [19 November] by the UK.
It comes as Ukraine reaches the grim milestone of 1000 days of bravely resisting Putin's illegal invasion.
Russia's assault is an unprovoked and barbaric attack against a sovereign democratic state. Ukraine has suffered nearly 12,000 civilian deaths, with more than 10 million Ukrainians forced to leave their homes.
More than 19,500 Ukrainian children have been forcibly transferred or deported by the Russian authorities to Russia and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
An estimated 6,000 Ukrainian children have been relocated to a network of re-education camps. Once there, they are subjected to indoctrination efforts which seek to erode their Ukrainian identity and instil pro-Russian sentiments, a strategy dating back to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea more than 10 years ago.
Those responsible have been sanctioned today.
Russian authorities expose Ukrainian children to a curriculum that rewrites Russian and Ukrainian history, glorifies Russian military actions, and promotes allegiance to Russia - and in some cases involves military training.
Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, said:
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.
As Ukraine reaches the grim milestone of 1000 days of bravely defending against Putin's illegal invasion, the UK's support is iron-clad. With our international partners, we stand with Ukraine to confront Russian aggression and fight for freedom, liberty and victory.
This latest round of sanctions targets those who prop up this insidious programme, including the All-Russian Young Army Military Patriotic Social Movement (Yunarmia), a Russian paramilitary organisation central to Putin's attempts to forcibly deport and indoctrinate Ukraine's younger generation.
Also sanctioned is Tetiana Zavalska, the Russian-appointed Head of Kherson Children's Home, where 46 children were forcibly taken from the children's home to Russia for adoption.
Vitaliy Aleksandrovich Suk, Director of the Oleshki Boarding School for Children with disabilities in Kherson, has also been sanctioned for using his position to illegally transfer disabled Ukrainian children out of Kherson.
During the last 1000 days, Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has violated Euro-Atlantic security, the UN charter and international law. The UK continues to stand up for Ukraine on the world stage, with the Foreign Secretary chairing a UN Security Council session on Ukraine in New York yesterday and joining Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha at a UN stakeout.
The Prime Minister is attending the G20 Leaders' Summit in Brazil, where he will call on G20 countries to go further and faster in their support of Ukraine, highlighting the 'unfathomable consequences' if Putin succeeds.
The Foreign Secretary will join counterparts from France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, and the European Union to discuss Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. This is the first time the UK has been invited to join the Weimar Triangle at Foreign Minister level, reiterating the UK's commitment to work closely with European partners to solve security challenges.
In the face of Putin's barbarism and imperialism, Ukrainians have defended their country with courage and a fierce determination to defend the values they cherish. Now into 1000 days of a war that Putin thought would be over in a few, Ukrainian forces have defied the odds, successfully pushing much of the Russian Black Sea Fleet eastwards, preventing Russia from dominating the air, and ensuring Ukraine can export its goods freely again, including lifesaving food supplies to the global south.
In Russia, the Russian people are paying the price for Putin's imperialism. Russia's army has suffered over 700,000 casualties, with Russia's daily casualties at their highest ever levels, while the cost of the war means Russia is now poorer than every EU economy by GDP per capita.
The UK remains resolutely committed to supporting Ukraine as it fights for freedom. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion the UK has committed £12.8 billion in support for Ukraine and will continue to deliver £3 billion of military aid every year for as long as needed.
Notes
In June 2022 and July 2023, the UK sanctioned 11 individuals and 1 entity for their involvement in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children, including the Russian Children's Rights Commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova. President Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova have since become subject to an ICC arrest warrant.
You can find more information on the UK's support for Ukraine here .
Sanctioned today are:
- All-Russian Young Army Military Patriotic Social Movement (Yunarmia)
- Nikita Vladimirovich NAGORNY
- Igor KAZAREZOV
- Andrey SABINOV
- Serafim Vikentevich IVANOV
- Avangard
- Olena Oleksandrivna SHAPUROVA
- Valentina Vasilyevna LAVRIK
- Tetiana ZAVALSKA
- Vitaliy Aleksandrovich SUK
