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, , 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 to editors
-
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
