London, July 17th. (Adnkronos) – British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced new sanctions against 14 figures in response to Russia’s attempts to destroy Ukraine’s national identity. Of these, eleven cases were decided against those involved in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children. Today’s announcement precedes the Secretary of State’s speech to the United Nations Security Council, in which he will highlight the far-reaching implications of the Russian war, call on Russia to renew the Black Sea Grains Initiative and outline the need for a just and lasting peace initiative in Ukraine becomes . Notables affected by the sanctions include Ksenia Mishonova, Moscow region’s children’s rights commissioner, and Sergey Kravtsov, Russia’s education minister. According to London, they allegedly played a prominent role in Russia’s deportation program aimed at erasing Ukrainians’ cultural and national identity. More than 19,000 Ukrainian children were forcibly deported to Russia or to areas temporarily controlled by Moscow. Many deported children are sent to a network of re-education camps in annexed Crimea and mainland Russia, where they receive Russian academic, cultural, patriotic, and military education. This latest sanctions package follows a package of sanctions by the United Kingdom against Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova in June 2022 for her alleged involvement in the forced relocation and adoption of Ukrainian children.
