UK broadens economic restrictions on Kadyrov's mother and significant supporter

The United Kingdom has taken a firm stance against the Kremlin's controversial policy of forced deportation and ideological indoctrination of Ukrainian children. Foreign Secretary David Lammy has condemned this policy, expressing grave concerns over the welfare of these young individuals.

In response, the UK government has updated its sanctions list, now containing 1,808 individuals and 498 legal entities, all in connection with the deportation and military upbringing of Ukrainian minors. Among those targeted are Zamid Chalaev, who has been sanctioned for being responsible for policies or actions that destabilize Ukraine, undermine its territorial integrity, or threaten it.

Chalaev, who was previously claimed by Ramzan Kadyrov to have been taken out of a psychiatric hospital and made a Hero of Russia, is now subject to entry bans and asset freezes, as are the Akhmat-Hadzhi Kadyrov Regional Public Foundation and Aymani Kadyrova. The Foundation was previously sanctioned by the US in August 2023 and by the EU in June 2024.

The pro-government youth movements Movement of the First and Volunteers of Victory have also been added to the UK sanctions list. Tatarstan's Deputy Prime Minister Leila Fazleeva and the republic's Youth Minister Rinat Sadykov are also included.

The European Union has previously sanctioned Chalaev for organizing 'military re-education' camps in Chechnya for children taken from Ukraine by Russian forces. In May 2022, Kadyrov appointed Chalaev 'responsible for the Luhansk front' in the full-scale war against Ukraine.

According to Ukraine's Children of War database, close to 20,000 children have been forcibly removed from Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war. Only around 1,600 of these children have since been returned.

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Meanwhile, four judges and prosecutors of the International Criminal Court (ICC) are currently on the United States sanctions list for allegedly prosecuting Americans and Israelis without their countries' consent. Their US assets have been frozen, and restrictions on business dealings have been imposed. This is part of ongoing US sanctions against ICC officials as of August 2025.

Elsewhere, Australia has expanded its sanctions against Russia, targeting 14 individuals linked to the suppression of political opposition and support for the war in Ukraine. Among those targeted are entrepreneur Ilgam Ragimov, known as a close associate of Putin, co-founder of the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company Andrei Kozitsyn, Radik Shaimiev, son of the former president of Tatarstan, Moscow Deputy Mayor Maksim Liksutov, and media entrepreneur Kristina Potupchik.