Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha speaks during a press conference of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children in Brussels on May 11, 2026. NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP
The European Union on Monday, May 11, imposed sanctions on 23 state institutions and officials responsible for Russia's "systematic unlawful deportation" of Ukrainian children.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has been accused of forcibly transferring around 20,000 children from parts of Ukraine seized by its army. "Stealing children is not incidental. It is a deliberate Russian policy, a calculated attack on Ukraine's future," the EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, told a press conference.
The EU sanctions target institutions and individuals involved in the running of programs subjecting children to "pro-Russian indoctrination, including through patriotic events, ideological education, and military-oriented activities," the bloc said. "These are the ones who 'rewire' the identity of Ukrainian children, help make them hate their homeland, and one day take up arms to fight against Ukraine," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, welcoming the move.
The sanctions, which include asset freezes and travel bans, were approved by the EU's 27 nations in coordination with Canada and Britain, which also announced similar measures on Monday. Ottawa's Foreign Minister Anita Anand was in Brussels alongside her Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiga for a meeting of a coalition of countries pressing for the children's return.
