Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky seeks ‘airport ceasefire’ but warns Putin has ‘no intention’ of ending warnewsline24

The European Union has imposed sanctions on 16 officials accused of helping Russia to abduct tens of thousands of children from Ukraine and force many to change their identities or be put up for adoption.

Sanctions were also slapped on seven centres suspected of indoctrinating the children or training them to serve in the armed forces, either for Russia or pro-Russian militias inside Ukraine.

Over 130 people and “entities” are now under EU travel bans and asset freezes over the abductions.

EU headquarters said the measures target “those responsible for the systematic unlawful deportation, forced transfer, forced assimilation, including indoctrination and militarized education, of Ukrainian minors, as well as their unlawful adoption and removal to the Russian Federation and within temporarily occupied territories.”

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, about 20,500 children have been unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred to Russia or Russian-held territories in eastern Ukraine.

EU officials say many of the children are stripped of their Ukrainian identity and culture, given Russian passports and put up for adoption. Some are forced into schools for indoctrination or into military camps.

“Russia is trying to erase their identity,” Latvian foreign minister Baiba Braže said yesterday at a meeting with EU counterparts in Brussels, where the sanctions were endorsed.

“When you look at the Genocide Convention, it’s one of the features of the genocide crime. So, it’s very serious.”

The European Union has imposed sanctions on 16 individuals and seven entities in Russia for systematic unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children, the EU Council said in a statement on Monday.

* Russia is estimated to have deported and forcibly transferred nearly 20,500 Ukrainian children since the war began, the EU Council said.

* These actions constitute grave breaches of international law and violate children’s fundamental rights, aiming to erase Ukrainian identity and undermine future generations, it added.

* Entities listed today include federal institutions linked to Russia’s Ministry of Education, the EU Council said.

* The listings also name officials and politicians from Russia‑occupied territories, along with leaders of youth camps and military‑patriotic organisations.

* Those listed are subject to asset freezes, while EU citizens and companies are barred from providing them with funds or economic resources, and individuals face an EU travel ban, the Council said.

Vladimir Putin recently suggested that former German chancellor Gerhard Schroder could help negotiate peace in Ukraine, saying he believes the war may be “coming to an end”.

The idea divided opinion in Germany. Former lawmaker Michael Roth said a mediator “cannot be Putin’s buddy” and stressed that Ukraine should decide who can take part in peace talks.

“Neither Moscow nor we can decide that on Kyiv’s behalf,” he said in an interview with Tagesspiegel.

But some members of Germany’s Social Democratic Party said the proposal should still be “carefully considered” with European partners.

Schroder has stayed close to Russian president Putin even after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. He also worked on major Russian energy projects, including the Nord Stream gas pipelines and the Russian oil company Rosneft.

Ukrainian authorities yesterday named Volodymyr Zelensky’s powerful former chief of staff as a suspect in a major corruption probe, a move likely to pile pressure on the president’s office at ⁠a sensitive moment in the war with Russia.

Kyiv’s political class was rocked by a wide-ranging investigation last year that had fueled public anger and prompted the ex-top adviser and Zelensky’s right-hand man, Andriy Yermak, to resign.

In ⁠a statement, Ukraine’s anti-graft agencies ​said ⁠Yermak is suspected of participating in a criminal group that laundered around $10.5 million through an elite housing development outside the ⁠capital Kyiv.

The agencies did not name Yermak, in line with ​Ukrainian law, ⁠but he was widely identified ‌by local media. Speaking to Ukrainian outlet Radio Liberty, he denied owning real estate in the development but did not comment ‌further.

The case is part of a ‌broader probe into high-level graft first unveiled last November, when a former Zelensky business partner was accused of running a $100 million kickback scheme at the state atomic ⁠agency.

Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Russia has no intention of ending the more than four-year-old war with his country and Kyiv was preparing for further attacks.

Zelensky made his comments as a ⁠US-mediated ceasefire linked to Russia’s 81st anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany drew to a close, with each side accusing the other of violating it.

He also spoke two days after Russian president Vladimir Putin suggested the conflict was coming to an end.

“Today there was no silence on the front line. Combat actions have continued,” Zelensky said in his ⁠nightly video address.

• Ukraine’s foreign minister says Europe can help the war-hit nation achieve a ceasefire with Russia – starting with halting attacks on each other’s airports first
• Monday sees resumption of attacks along Russia-Ukraine war frontline, Zelensky confirms
• Ukrainian president says Russia has ‘no intention’ of ending the war in Ukraine, leaving Kyiv to prepare for new attacks
• EU’s foreign policy chief rejects Putin’s suggestion that former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder could represent Europe in future talks with Moscow on European security arrangements