The EU imposes sanctions on Russian officials accused of forced transfers of thousands of Ukrainian children

The European Union announced sanctions on Monday, May 11th, against around twenty Russian officials and organizations accused of forcibly transferring Ukrainian children to Russia or occupied Ukrainian territories. “Since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, nearly 20,500 Ukrainian children” have been forcibly transferred, according to the EU.

Sixteen individuals and seven organizations, including those connected to the Russian Ministry of Education, are targeted for indoctrination, ideological teaching, and militarization of minors. All of them will have their assets frozen in Europe and will be banned from entering the EU.

These forcible transfers of children are described as “one of the worst crimes” aiming to “erase the future generation of Ukraine,” said European diplomatic chief Kaja Kallas. She noted that the EU had previously sanctioned about a hundred individuals and entities for similar reasons. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the new EU sanctions, stating, “We must continue to work together to bring all Ukrainian children home and ensure that all those responsible for these crimes are held accountable,” in a social media post.