UK sanctions Kadyrov's mother, others over Russian deportation of Ukrainian children
The U.K. on Sept. 3 imposed sanctions on eight individuals and several organizations linked to the forced deportation and indoctrination of Ukrainian children, the British Foreign Office announced.
"The Kremlin's policy of forced deportations, indoctrination, and militarization of Ukrainian children is despicable, and demonstrates the depths of depravity that President (Vladimir) Putin will reach to erase Ukrainian language, culture, and identity," U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale war, at least 19,546 Ukrainian children have been confirmed as forcibly removed, according to Ukraine's Children of War database. Only 1,592 have been brought back home.
The new sanctions target figures and groups accused of organizing or facilitating the deportations. Among them is the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation, which runs re-education programs, and its president, Aymani Kadyrova, the mother of Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov.
Also listed are Valery Maiorov, head of the Russian state-run "Teenage Programs Center," and Anastasia Akkuratova, deputy director at Russia's Education Ministry responsible for children's rights.
Other sanctioned groups include "Movement of the First," which promotes loyalty to the Kremlin among schoolchildren, and "Volunteers of Victory," which glorifies Russia's military and frames the war in Ukraine as a continuation of historic struggles.
The issue of abducted children has been central in Ukraine's talks with allies and in attempts to engage with Russia directly. President Volodymyr Zelensky has called their return a non-negotiable condition for any peace deal.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Putin and Russian Children's Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova over their personal roles in organizing the deportations.
