UK sanctions Russian individuals, entities responsible for exploiting migrants in its war effort
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The U.K. announced on May 5 that it had imposed new sanctions on 35 individuals and entities for their involvement in migrant exploitation and human trafficking to serve Russia's war effort.
"The practice of exploiting vulnerable people to prop up Russia’s failing and illegal war in Ukraine is barbaric," U.K. Sanctions Minister Stephen Doughty said.
"These sanctions expose and disrupt the operations of those trafficking migrants as cannon fodder and feeding Putin’s drone factories with illicit components to target innocent civilians and vital infrastructure."
Since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has not only launched active recruitment campaigns in some of Russia’s poorest regions but has also intensified efforts to enlist foreign nationals to join its war effort.
On April 28, the HUR, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, warned that Russia is preparing to recruit nearly 19,000 more foreigners into its armed forces by the end of 2026.
Ukraine has already identified more than 27,000 foreigners serving in the Russian military, many of whom lack proper training and are essentially deployed as cannon fodder on the front lines.
Among those included in the latest U.K. sanctions lists are three Kremlin-linked individuals involved in the recruitment of individuals to fight in Ukraine on behalf of Russia.
Russia has also intensified its recruitment of economically vulnerable migrant workers since 2022, including through programs like Alabuga Start, which the U.K. cited in its latest sanctions announcement.
The initiative promises migrants a better life, but instead places them in harsh working conditions, manufacturing weapons for Russia's war effort.
"The U.K. remains unwavering in its support for Ukraine and will continue to use the full force of its sanctions powers to disrupt Russia’s hybrid threats and squeeze the Kremlin’s war machine," the U.K. Foreign Ministry's press release reads.
"These measures underline our determination to hold Russia and its enablers to account, defend European security, and support Ukraine’s fight for freedom."
