Canada has imposed sanctions on eight individuals over their alleged involvement in the deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children, as well as their exposure to indoctrination and militarisation.
The sanctions, announced during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Canada, took effect on September 4.
Canada, a co-chair of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, said the measures were aimed at individuals linked to Russia’s efforts to remove and re-educate children from occupied Ukrainian territories.
Among those sanctioned are Grigory Gurov, head of Russia’s Federal Agency for Youth Affairs; Artur Orlov, chairman of the Movement of the First; and Denis Chernobay, head of the movement’s branch in occupied Donetsk.
Others include Vladimir Khromov, Elena Milskaya, Aleksandr Kurenkov, Vitaliy Suk and Alexandra Kulgina, who are accused of involvement in programmes targeting children and young people from occupied territories.
Head of Bring Kids Back UA, Maksym Maksymov, welcomed the measures, saying the sanctions make responsibility for the alleged deportation of children more personal.
“Every decision of this kind makes responsibility personal. Behind the deportations, there are no abstract ‘circumstances of war’ but specific people with names and positions”, Maksymov said.
He added that the pressure on those involved should continue until all Ukrainian children are returned.
The Canadian government said its sanctions against Russia now cover more than 3,500 individuals and entities, while more than 600 shadow-fleet vessels have also been listed separately.
Bring Kids Back UA, launched in 2023, coordinates efforts to locate, return and reintegrate Ukrainian children affected by the war.
