The United States Department of State issued a fresh sanctions package targeting eleven individuals and two organizations in response to the forced deportation of Ukrainian minors to Russia and parts of Chechnya. The move signals Washingtons ongoing effort to hold those involved in these acts accountable and to defend Ukraine on the international stage.
Officials from the State Department emphasized that children suffer most during armed conflicts and that the new measures reinforce the commitment to Ukraine sovereignty and territorial integrity. The statement stressed that sanctioning individuals and groups involved in the abuses sends a clear message about accountability for atrocities committed against Ukrainian youths.
Among those designated were three individuals who held the post of Commissioner for the Rights of the Child and who played direct roles in the deportations. The named officials are Galina Anatolevna Piatij from Belgorod, Irina Anatolievna Ageeva from Kaluga, and Irina Alexandrovna Cherkasova from Rostov. Their inclusion underlines the focus on key state actors connected to the expulsions.
Also sanctioned were Mansur Mussaevich Soltaev and Muslim Magomedovich Juchiev, figures linked to Chechnyas governance apparatus. Both were tied to schemes intended to facilitate the transfer of minors and connect to the broader network involved in the operation. The actions attributed to them are described as part of a wider pattern of activity aimed at relocating Ukrainian children under coercive circumstances.
In addition to individuals, institutions connected to the operation were targeted. The Artek Federal State Budgetary Educational Institute, a summer camp known for hosting Ukrainian children, was cited for enforcing reeducation programs aligned with the broader objectives of the effort. The camp and its leadership were noted in the sanctions list, highlighting how state-run educational facilities can be implicated in human rights abuses.
Another sanctioned figure tied to the operation is Konstantin Albertovich Fedorenko, who served as the director and was appointed in connection with the involved programs. The designation underscores the role of leadership at major institutions in enabling or facilitating the alleged wrongdoing.
The United States also extended the sanctions to six additional individuals and organizations believed to be collaborating with the operation from Moscow. Among these are Zamid Aliyevich Chalaev, a battalion commander who participated in military actions related to the siege of the Azovstal steelworks. The designation indicates involvement in the broader plan that facilitated the movement of Ukrainian minors during the conflict, including into Chechnya.
The list further included Olena Oleksandrivna Shapurova, the Minister of Education and Science responsible for governance in territories affected by the conflict, and Vladimir Vladislavovich Kovalenko, a member of the board of a youth military organization. His role involved militarization and propaganda aimed at influencing schoolchildren in areas under occupation. The sanctions reflect concern about the militarization of youth programs and the way they are used to shape national sentiment in occupied regions.
Finally, the package named Vladimir Dmitrievich Nechaev, the director of Sevastopol State University in Crimea, and the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation, which oversees programs described as reeducation of Ukrainian children in Chechnya. Aymani Nesievna Kadyrov, a board member and mother of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, was also identified in association with the foundation. The measures illustrate a focus on entities connected to governance, education, and charitable activities linked to the crisis and the alleged exploitation of Ukrainian minors.
In concluding, the new sanctions broaden the scope of targeted accountability by mapping out a network of state actors, institutions, and supporters involved in the deportation and governance schemes. The designation of individuals and entities across multiple jurisdictions underscores the international communitys stance on protecting vulnerable populations in wartime and the continued pursuit of justice for the victims involved. Attribution: Source information from the United States Department of State and related briefings.