LONDON, May 11 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:
* TheUKhas sanctioned85 individuals and entities involved in the forced deportation,indoctrinationand militarisation of Ukrainian children, alongside thosedriving Russia'sinformation warfarecampaigns
* In some of thetoughest actiontodate, the UK is exposingandcombattinghostile Russian activityacross multiplefronts, including recent attempts to interfere in Armenian elections
* Anadditional£1.2 million inUKfundingwillhelpidentifyand return Ukrainian children to their homesand communities
The UKistoday[Monday11 May] exposing andtaking actionagainstRussia's hostile and heinousactivity at every level,from its systematic campaign to forcibly deport and militarise Ukrainian children to recent attempts to interfere in upcoming Armenian elections.
Today's action represents some of the toughest measures the UK has taken to target hostile Russian activity to date, directly hitting85 individuals and entities.As Russia relentlesslyseeksto undermine democratic process and global support for Ukraine,thislatest tranche of sanctions cracks down onmalicious information warfare campaigns.
New measures target 49individuals working for the Social Design Agency (SDA),includingwriters,translatorsandvideo makersresponsible for deceptive Kremlin propaganda.The SDA has been tasked and funded by the Kremlin to deliver a series of interference operations designed to undermine democracy and weaken support for Ukraine.
In continuing to expose Russia's hostile and malign activities, the UK is today calling outthatthe Social Design Agencyhasplanned campaignswhich were almost certainly tasked by the Russian Presidential Administration, including seeking to establish pro-Russia organisations in Armenia and influence a change in power towards pro-Russia figures.
Elsewhere, the UKcan also reveal that sanctioned entity ANO Dialogis tasked bythe Russian Presidential Administration and has worked alongside Russian intelligence services to carry out malign influence campaigns on behalf of the Government of Russia. ANO Dialog has alsocoordinated with Russian intelligence on interference plans aimed at Armenian domestic politics.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said:
The UK will not stand idly by as Putin seeks to sow lies and pro-Kremlin narratives abroad.
Today's sanctions are a strong step in exposing and disrupting the depths Russia is willing to go, to interfere and undermine democracy, and destroy Ukraine's future through the abhorrent deportation and indoctrination of Ukrainian children.
The UK's support for Ukraine remains ironclad and we will continue to work alongside our allies to support every effort to identify and trace the children that have been cruelly taken from their communities and bring them home.
Among those sanctioned todayfor their role intheheinous policy ofRussificationof Ukrainian childrenis theCentrefor Military Sports Training and Patriotic Education ofYouth,knownas the'Warrior Centre'.Here,Ukrainian children are subjectedto military training andpro‑Kremlinideology.
Also sanctioned is Yulia Sergeevna Velichko, Minister for Youth Policy in theso‑called'Luhansk People's Republic', for her role in implementingstate‑ledinitiatives for the deportation and indoctrination of Ukrainian children, including the issuingofRussian passports to children fromtemporarilyoccupied territoriesand organising programmes that expose them to Russian ideology.
The announcement comes as Sanctions Minister StephenDoughty travelsto Brussels toattend theHigh-Levelmeeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. While in Brussels, the Minister will announce afurther £1.2millionofUKfunding for theVerification Centreand Tracing Mechanism, helpingtoidentifyandlocateUkrainian children who have been cruelly taken from their homes.
The UKwill continue to crack down on those who carry out malign activity on behalf of the Kremlin and organisationsseekingto spread lies and undermine democracyin defence of our values. To date, the UK has sanctioned over 3,300 targets to clamp down on those fuelling Russia's war efforts, from disrupting military supply chains to tackling the weaponisation of irregular migration.
Notes to editors:
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Thislatestsanctionpackageincludes 29 targets linked to Russia's systematic campaign to forcibly deport and militarise Ukrainian children, and a further 56 designations targeting those responsible for the Kremlin's information warfare.
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Russia's heinous policy of forced deportation and indoctrinationof Ukrainian children is a clear attempt to sever cultural and national ties to their home country. To date, over 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly transferred or deported to Russia and within the temporarily occupied territories. Sanctions are a critical tool in the UK's arsenal to expose these injustices, uncover the perpetratorsand defend the identity and values Ukraine is fighting to protect.
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The Centre for Military Sports Training and Patriotic Education of Youthoperatesa network of facilities across Russia and Ukraine's temporarily occupiedterritories.
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Among those forcibly deported, an estimated 6,000 children have been taken tore‑educationcamps, where they are subjected to propaganda designed to erase Ukrainian identity and instilpro‑Russian, highly militarised beliefs.
* The UK is providing a further £1.2million to the tracing and verification of illegally deported Ukrainian children. This includes
* £600,000 for the Verification Centre whichislocatingthese children and providedstrong evidenceto the UN Commission of Inquiry to support their conclusions that Russia's actionsconstitutecrimes against humanity.
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£600,000 for the Ukrainian led Tracing programmewhich istracing andlocatingthousands of Ukrainian children illegally deported by Russia.
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view moreinformation on the UK's support for Ukraine
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view the List of Russia Designations, 11 May 2026 - GOV.UK
* view the fullUK Sanctions List
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
