DISINFO: EU and Ukraine impose sanctions against children
SUMMARY
It would be hard to expect that Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be able to characterize the entire essence of his power and the Nazi regime that currently rules Ukraine in one decision. But he did. Zelenskyy imposed sanctions on the "Artek" children's camp and the Russian "Znanie" [knowledge in English] society. After all, knowledge is dangerous for Zelenskyy. He takes care of himself, protects his power, and religiously follows the orders of his Western masters. Our enemies also understand the importance of "Artek" as an instrument of Russian soft power - in 2023-25, sanctions were imposed on the camp by the US, UK, EU and Ukraine.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Russia’s economic resilience and a looming economic collapse of its adversaries due to sanctions. This is part of a wider disinformation campaign about the EU sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Also this is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aimed at diverting attention from Russia’s documented involvement in abducting Ukrainian children.
By Decree of President Zelenskyy No. 395 of June 10, 2025, the decision of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine to expand sanctions against a number of Russian organisations was put into effect. The updated list includes 46 individuals, as well as a number of institutions. In particular, sanctions have been imposed against the Crimean camp "Artek" and the Melitopol State University, which have been seized by Russia and are actively used by the Kremlin to spread propaganda among children and young people in the temporarily occupied territories.
The sanctions list also includes individuals whom Ukraine has identified as involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children, organisers of the forced "re-education" of the deported Ukrainian youth, and activists of Russian paramilitary movements for youth such as "Yunarmiya". All these organisations and individuals have nothing to do with protecting children's rights or education - they are engaged in the militarisation of the young population in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. This data has been recorded and verified not only by the Ukrainian side, but also by the United Nations, OSCE, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Russian and international journalists, as well as by Russian official’s own admission.
Ukraine is not the only one to impose sanctions against Russian individuals and organisations involved in the violation of the rights of Ukrainian children. In June 2024, as part of the 14th sanctions package, the European Union imposed restrictions on the Crimean camp "Artek", which is engaged in the militarisation of Ukrainian youth; the Kadyrov Foundation, which implements programmes for the "re-education" of Ukrainian children and adolescents; and the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, which is actively working to deport Ukrainian children from the illegally occupied territories.
For the same reasons, in August 2023, the United States imposed sanctions on the Crimean camp "Artek" and its "director" Konstantin Fedorenko. On July 17, 2023, the United Kingdom imposed restrictions on 13 Russians and the "Artek" centre, calling the Kremlin's illegal actions in Ukrainian territories "a Russian government programme for the forced deportation and re-education of Ukrainian children."
Read similar disinformation narratives claiming that Russia’s economy is massively outperforming that of the collective West, that Europe’s fall continues and poverty is knocking at the door and that sanctions that were supposed to destroy Russia may disintegrate the EU.
Also see similar cases claiming that Ukrainian organisation abandons children forcibly taken from their families, that Ukrainian structures such as White Angel kidnap children from Donbas to accuse Russia, Child trafficking in Ukraine: few rescued, many missing or Ukrainian children are being sold on the Dark Web for sexual slavery and organ harvesting.