Britain today slapped fresh
sanctions on an ally of Vladimir Putin who has been accused of
overseeing a mass kidnap of Ukrainian children.
Maria Lvova-Belova, who holds
the role of Russia’s ‘Children’s Rights Commissioner’, is alleged to be
involved in the forced abduction and adoption of Ukrainian children in Russia.
It has been claimed, during
the course of Mr. Putin’s invasion, that Ukrainian orphans are being taken from
Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine with plans to make them Russian
citizens.
Ukraine has accused Russia of
deporting more than 232,000 children to its territory, with more than 2,000 of
them orphaned or separated from their parents.
Kyiv has also hit out at moves
by the Russian parliament to simplify the adoption of Ukrainian children by
Russians.
The new British sanctions
announced today by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss also target
Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
He has been a long-time ally
of Mr. Putin and become one of the most prominent supporters of Russia’s invasion
of Ukraine.
Other sanctions have been
placed on the head of a Russian transport company, Russian military commanders,
and Ukranian separatist leaders who are accused of collaborating with Russian
forces in the Kherson region.
Ms Truss has also targeted
arms dealers who supply Myanmar’s military junta.
