Who Has the Power
The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on 16 officials accused of helping Russia abduct tens of thousands of children from Ukraine and force many to change their identities or be put up for adoption. The sanctions, announced from EU headquarters, also hit seven centers suspected of indoctrinating the children or training them to serve in the armed forces, either for Russia or pro-Russian militias inside Ukraine. More than 130 people and entities are now under EU travel bans and asset freezes over the abductions.
The machinery described by EU officials is not subtle: systematic unlawful deportation, forced transfer, forced assimilation, indoctrination, militarized education, unlawful adoption, and removal to the Russian Federation and within temporarily occupied territories. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, about 20,500 children have been unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred to Russia or Russian-held territories in eastern Ukraine.
Who Pays the Price
The people at the bottom of this hierarchy are children, many of whom are stripped of their Ukrainian identity and culture, given Russian passports and put up for adoption. Some are forced into schools for indoctrination or into military camps. The EU said the targeted officials include the heads of children’s camps, government representatives and military officers in charge of youth training.
One of the 16 named was Lilya Shvetsova, head of the Red Carnation camp in occupied Crimea. The EU said she supervised activities aimed at shaping the political and ideological views of children present at the facility, including Ukrainian children. Like others on the list, she was determined to be supporting and implementing actions and policies contributing to the deportation, forced transfer, forced assimilation, including indoctrination, or militarized education of Ukrainian minors.
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions. EU officials said the sanctions now cover more than 130 people and entities with travel bans and asset freezes tied to the abductions.
What They Call Pressure
The EU on Monday was hosting, alongside Canada, a meeting of the 47-country International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children to increase diplomatic pressure on Russia and rally support for work to verify and trace those who are taken. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said ahead of the gathering: "War has really many faces, but stealing the children is really one of the most horrific," and added, "We should stop this, and Russia should pay."
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said Monday at a meeting with EU counterparts in Brussels, where the sanctions were endorsed: "Russia is trying to erase their identity. When you look at the Genocide Convention, it’s one of the features of the genocide crime. So, it’s very serious."
Around 2,200 children have been returned, but identifying them is complicated. Those taken at a young age can be difficult to recognize just a few years later. Getting them home is a harrowing task, and while Ukraine has reintegration structures in place some may face a long period of adaption when they return.
The sanctions and coalition meeting show the institutional response to a mass abduction campaign carried out through state power, military structures and occupied-territory administration. The EU’s measures target officials and institutions it says helped carry out the removals, while the children themselves remain the ones forced to live with the consequences of decisions made far above them.