UK imposes sanctions on Chechen leader’s mother over forcible deportation of Ukrainian children

The United Kingdom has announced a new round of sanctions against a number of Russian and Chechen officials and organizations, citing their involvement in the forcible deportation and re-education of Ukrainian children. The measures are a direct response to reports that nearly 20,000 children have been forcibly transferred to Russia or Russian-held territory in Ukraine since the beginning of the war in 2022.

The sanctions, announced by the Foreign Office on September 3, target eight individuals and three organizations. A key figure among those sanctioned is Aymani Kadyrova, the mother of Kremlin-backed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who is also the president of the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation. Her foundation is specifically implicated in running "re-education" programs for Ukrainian minors, Caliber.Az reports.

According to reports, of the 20,000 children who have been forcibly deported, approximately 6,000 have been sent to a network of these camps. These facilities are described as part of a Kremlin-led effort to "eradicate Ukrainian cultural identity" and "prepare them [for] Russian military service."

The sanctions also hit the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation itself, alongside two other groups: Volunteers of Victory and the Movement of the First. The latter is a youth organization that has been likened to the Soviet-era Young Pioneers.

The Foreign Secretary described the deportations as "despicable" and highlighted the UK's commitment to holding those responsible accountable. The sanctioned individuals also include Russian education ministry official Anastasia Akkuratova, Chechen military commander Zamid Chalayev, and Leyla Fasleeva and Rinat Sadykov, who serve as the deputy prime minister and youth affairs minister of the Russian region of Tatarstan, respectively. The sanctions impose travel bans and asset freezes on those designated as direct perpetrators of this policy.

By Vafa Guliyeva