UK sanctions Chechen warlord’s mother in connection with deportations and indoctrination of Ukrainian children

The UK government has imposed sanctions on eight Russians and three organizations tied to the deportation and ideological indoctrination of Ukrainian children, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) announced in a press release issued earlier today.

The new measures target officials and entities backing the Kremlin’s policy of “Russifying” children from occupied parts of Ukraine. London said the system includes camps and “re-education” programs in which Ukrainian children are stripped of their national identity, subjected to military training, and exposed to propaganda.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy called Russia’s policy “despicable,” saying it shows “the depths of depravity that President Putin will reach to erase Ukrainian language, culture, and identity.” British intelligence estimates that since the start of the full-scale invasion, more than 19,500 Ukrainian children have been deported, with some 6,000 sent to re-education camps.

Among those sanctioned is the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation, which runs programs aimed at militarizing teenagers. Its president, Aimani Kadyrova — the mother of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov — was personally added to the blacklist. Also sanctioned were the Kremlin-backed “Movement of the First,” which has been described by Kremlin-controlled media as “reviving the traditions of the [Soviet] Pioneers,” and the group “Victory Volunteers.”

In addition to Aimani Kadyrova, Individual sanctions were imposed on Valery Mayorov, head of the “Center for Youth Programs,” and Anastasia Akkuratova, deputy director at the Russian Ministry of Education’s child protection department. Others on the list include:

• Natalia Tishchenko, co-chair of the “People’s Front” (“Narodny Front”) in occupied Kherson;
• Zamid Chalaev, commander of Chechen police special forces;
• Leila Fazleeva, deputy prime minister of Tatarstan;
• Rinat Sadykov, Tatarstan’s education and science minister;
• Alexander Gurov.

Previously, in November 2024, the UK sanctioned several Russian officials and organizations involved in the forced transfer of Ukrainian children. That round targeted 10 individuals, including the leaders of the “Yunarmiya” (short for “Young Army” in Russian) youth movement.