The UK government has imposed sanctions on a group of Russian officials, a Chechen military commander, and several organisations over their alleged involvement in the abduction and forced re-education of thousands of Ukrainian children.
The move, announced in London on Wednesday, is part of a coordinated international effort to hold Moscow accountable for what has been described as one of the most disturbing consequences of the war.
According to reports cited by the UK’s Foreign Office, nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported from their homes since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, of this number, at least 6,000 are believed to have been taken to a network of so-called “re-education” camps in Russia and Russian-occupied territories.
These facilities, officials say, are designed not only to erase Ukrainian cultural identity but also to indoctrinate children into Russian ideology, with some being prepared for eventual military service.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the practice as “despicable” and condemned Russia’s attempt to weaponise children in its ongoing conflict.
“To take a child from their home and seek to forcibly erase their heritage and upbringing through lies and disinformation can never be tolerated,” Lammy said. “No child should ever be a pawn of war, and that is why we are holding those responsible to account.”
Among those sanctioned is Aymani Kadyrova, the mother of Kremlin-backed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
She heads the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation, which London says runs indoctrination programmes for Ukrainian children.
The foundation itself has also been blacklisted. Two other groups, Volunteers of Victory and the Movement of the First, have also been sanctioned for their involvement in what British officials describe as systematic cultural erasure.
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The latter organisation has drawn comparisons to the Soviet-era Young Pioneers for its focus on ideological training of youth.
Other individuals targeted in the sanctions include Anastasia Akkuratova, a Russian education ministry official; Zamid Chalayev, a Chechen military commander; and two senior officials from Russia’s Tatarstan region—Deputy Prime Minister Leyla Fasleeva and Youth Affairs Minister Rinat Sadykov.
Valery Maiorov, who oversees the “Teenage Programmes Centre,” was also included for allegedly directing programmes aimed at turning Ukrainian children against their homeland.
The sanctions freeze any UK-based assets belonging to the individuals and organisations and prohibit British citizens and businesses from engaging with them.
While symbolic in some respects, such measures are also intended to isolate Moscow’s supporters internationally and reinforce the message that the targeting of children during conflict will not go unpunished.
The United Kingdom’s announcement aligns with similar actions taken by Canada, the European Union, and the United States, all of which have previously sanctioned individuals connected to the deportations.
