British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly today announced 14 new sanctions in response to what he calls Russian attempts to destroy Ukraine’s national identity. Eleven sanctions specifically target Russian officials involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children.
“In his appalling program of forced child deportations and the hateful propaganda of his lackeys, we see Putin’s true intention: to wipe Ukraine off the map,” Cleverly said. “Today’s sanctions hold accountable those who support Putin’s regime, including those who want to see Ukraine destroyed, its national identity dissolved and its future obliterated.”
Russian ministers
Prominent Russian officials blacklisted by the British include Russian Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov, Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova and Ksenia Misjonova, the Moscow Region Children’s Rights Commissioner. According to the British ministry, “these figures played an insidious role in Russia’s calculated expulsion program designed to erase Ukrainian cultural and national identity”. More than 19,000 Ukrainian children were forcibly deported to Russia or to territory temporarily controlled by Russian authorities.
Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova has been penalized “for using her position to support the Russian state’s harmful anti-Ukrainian policies,” the British government said. Former Russia Today anchor Anton Krasovski is also on the list for spreading “propaganda designed to incite violence and hatred against Ukraine”.
Illegal network
The British ministry says many deported children are being transferred to a network of re-education camps in Crimea and mainland Russia, where they “are exposed to Russian-focused academic, cultural, patriotic and military education”.
In June, the UK already fined Russia’s Children’s Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for her alleged involvement in the forced relocation and adoption of Ukrainian children.
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Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
