Britain has imposed sanctions on seven Russians over their actions against Ukrainian children

On October 2, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on seven Russian citizens whom London links to the forced deportation, indoctrination, and militarization of Ukrainian children. Among those sanctioned are the leaders of Russia’s “First Movement” and its branches in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

 

This is stated in a decision by the British government. Details regarding the individuals included on the sanctions list were provided by the Bring Kids Back UA initiative.

Artur Orlov, chairman of the board of the Russian public-state movement for children and youth “Movement of the First,” has been sanctioned. He is a Russian officer, a tank battalion commander, and a participant in the war against Ukraine. In 2024, Vladimir Putin appointed him head of the organization.

Restrictions were also imposed on five leaders of regional branches of “The First Movement” in the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions and Crimea—Denis Chernobay, Ruyal Aliyev, Alexei Lavrentyev, Viktoria Kostromina, and Katerina Kozyr.

“The Movement of the First” was established in Russia in 2022 on Putin’s initiative. According to the expert mission of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism, the organization has over 344,000 members in the occupied territories of Ukraine alone.

The seventh person on the sanctions list is Olena Milska, chair of the board of trustees of Russia’s “National Center for Assistance to Missing and Victimized Children.”

According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, in October 2022, Milska used the center’s volunteers as a cover for the mass abduction and illegal deportation of Ukrainian children—including orphans—from the occupied territories to the Krasnodar Krai via Crimea.

At least three of the seven individuals—Orlov, Chernobay, and Milskaya—had previously been subject to Canadian sanctions. Milskaya is also subject to European Union sanctions.

“The ‘First Movers’ movement in the occupied territories is not a children’s club. It is a conveyor belt through which Russia is turning Ukrainian children into Russian soldiers for the war against their own homeland,” said Maksym Maksymov, head of Bring Kids Back UA.

According to him, the British sanctions hold the individuals who lead this organization’s activities in the occupied Ukrainian territories personally accountable.

The British government emphasized that millions of Ukrainian children in Russian-occupied territories are subjected to Kremlin propaganda programs. In particular, children are taught how to handle weapons and operate drones.

According to the British assessment, the goal of such programs is to strip children of their Ukrainian identity and prepare them to serve the aggressor state.

The United Kingdom has imposed asset freezes and travel bans on all seven individuals. Restrictions on the provision of trust services and a ban on serving as company directors are also in effect.

Source: UK government

Earlier, the U.S. banned transactions with A7 due to suspicions of sanctions evasion.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has also imposed sanctions against Iran’s automotive and railway sectors. The restrictions are part of Operation Economic Outcast, aimed at cutting off Tehran’s access to financial resources.

On October 1, the UK government announced a new package of sanctions against Russia, targeting 31 individuals and entities, as well as vessels belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet.”