The European Union is preparing to announce what would be its largest ever sanctions package against Russia, with more than 1,600 new entries expected to be added to its restrictive lists in October, The Insider has learned. Several EU countries believe Rustam Minnikhanov, the head of Russia’s republic of Tatarstan, should be added to the sanctions list due to his involvement in facilitating the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to camps in the republic.
Although individuals and entities tied to the Russian military-industrial complex dominate the proposed list, The Insider found that around 10 people and more than 15 organizations could be included over their role in the unlawful transfer of Ukrainian children. Several EU member states have proposed sanctioning Minnikhanov on these grounds based on the operations of Miras children’s camp in Tatarstan’s Zelenodolsk District, which EU officials say forms part of Russia’s broader strategy of removing Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territories.
Among the other individuals falling in this category are Russian-appointed officials in occupied Ukrainian territories, including school directors, local education ministers, and heads of regional branches of Dvizhenie Pervykh (lit. “Movement of the First”), a Kremlin-backed youth organization.
More than 15 organizations could also face sanctions, mainly children’s camps and educational and sports centers.
The Insider has learned that the EU is also discussing sanctions against the Moscow City Tourism Committee (Mosturizm). EU officials believe the agency contributes to the forced assimilation and indoctrination of Ukrainian minors.
Canada previously imposed personal sanctions on eight Russian officials over their involvement in the deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children. Those sanctioned include Russian Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov, head of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh) Grigory Gurov, and Movement of the First board chairman Artur Orlov.
On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights. They were accused of the war crime of unlawfully deporting and transferring children from occupied Ukrainian territories to Russia.
With reporting by Morgane Fert Malka.
