European Union foreign ministers have adopted sanctions against 16 individuals and seven organizations responsible for the deportation and forced adoption of Ukrainian children by Russia.
The move “targets those responsible for the systematic unlawful deportation, forced transfer, forced assimilation, including indoctrination and militarised education, of Ukrainian minors, as well as their unlawful adoption and removal to the Russian Federation and within temporarily occupied territories,” a press release published on Monday said.
The sanctions include asset freezes within the EU and entry bans for individuals.
The European Commission says around 20,000 Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territories since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022, with many forced to change their identity and citizenship and placed for adoption.
Despite international efforts, only about 2,100 children have so far been returned.
The sanctioned organizations include groups close to the Russian Ministry of Education in charge of “pro-Russian indoctrination, including through patriotic events, ideological education, and military-oriented activities.”
Sanctioned individuals “include officials and politicians from territories illegally occupied by Russia, as well as various heads of youth camps and military-patriotic clubs and organisations,” the statement said.
“They are all responsible for promoting patriotic and military education among young people through ideological indoctrination, exposure to Russian military culture, paramilitary training, and participation in events glorifying Russia’s war of aggression,” it said.