EU Sanctions Officials Behind Russia’s Forced Indoctrination of Ukrainian Children

The European Union has imposed sanctions on 16 individuals and seven organisations involved in the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children and their subsequent forced indoctrination, as Brussels estimates nearly 20,500 children have been illegally transferred to Russia since the full-scale invasion began.

The sanctions were adopted on 11 May, the day of the meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, according to the EU Council. Brussels stated that the case goes beyond deportation and forced displacement. Ukrainian children held in Russian-run facilities were subjected to forced assimilation, political indoctrination, and military-patriotic training explicitly aimed at erasing their Ukrainian identity. Many were stripped of their Ukrainian identity documents, given Russian passports, and put up for adoption. Others were sent to schools for ideological education or to military camps where they were trained to serve in Russia’s armed forces or pro-Russian militias inside Ukraine.

“These actions constitute grave breaches of international law and a violation of the fundamental rights of the child and aim to erase Ukrainian identity and undermine the preservation of its future generations,” the EU Council said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha was more direct. “This is not collateral damage,” he said. “This is a deliberate Russian policy aimed at destroying Ukrainian identity. Children are forced to forget who they are, where they come from, and even their language,” he said at the press conference of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children in Brussels, as reported by Euronews.

The sanctions list includes Russian state institutions and children’s centres Orlyonok, Scarlet Sails, and Smena, all linked to Russia’s Ministry of Education. Operating in coordination with occupation authorities, these structures ran programmes exposing Ukrainian children to pro-Russian ideological content, including patriotic events, political education, exposure to Russian military culture, and elements of basic military training. Also targeted are the DOSAAF Centre in Sevastopol, the Nakhimov Naval School, and the Military-Patriotic Club Patriot in Crimea, which the EU Council described as running the re-education, ideological indoctrination, and militarisation of minors, fostering loyalty to Russia and undermining Ukrainian national identity.

Today’s listings also cover officials and politicians from Russian-occupied territories, as well as heads of youth camps and military-patriotic clubs. With these additions, more than 130 people and entities are now under EU travel bans and asset freezes in connection to Russia’s systematic deportation of Ukrainian children. Around 2,200 minors have been returned to Ukraine since the war began, though identification and reunification remain difficult.

All sanctioned individuals and entities will have their assets frozen across EU member states. EU citizens and companies are prohibited from providing them with financial support, and the individuals face entry bans and transit restrictions throughout the bloc.

The European Council has also called on Belarus, alongside Russia, to ensure the safe and unconditional return of all unlawfully deported Ukrainian children and civilians.

The move follows Ukraine’s own sanctions round at the end of April, which targeted 20 individuals and four legal entities involved in the deportation of children from occupied territories, including Russian officials, collaborators, and representatives of occupation authorities.