OTTAWA — Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced Monday that Canada is imposing a new set of sanctions against Russian entities and individuals allegedly involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children. Speaking at the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children in Brussels, Anand said Canada is sanctioning an additional 23 individuals and five entities under the Special Economic Measures Act.The measures targets entities accused of participating in the indoctrination and militarization of Ukrainian children in Russia and territories of which Russia currently occupies.“These actions are unacceptable and must come to an end,” Anand said in a statement.She described the deportation of Ukrainian children as “a grave breach of international humanitarian law and a profound violation of human rights.”Canada’s government is calling on Russia to immediately return Ukrainian children and comply with its international legal obligations, Anand said, adding that the issue remains central to achieving peace. .The Ukrainian National Information Bureau published the identities of over 19,000 children who have been transferred to Russia. These sanctions build on previous Canadian measures targeting officials linked to child deportation efforts, including Russia’s Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.Russia remains the most sanctioned country by the Canadian government, with more than 3,4000 Russian individuals and state-linked entities sanctioned since the 2014 annexation of Crimea.
