Russia’s war against Ukraine is also a war against Ukraine’s children. Ukraine’s official registry documents more than 20,500 children deported or forcibly displaced. Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab estimates at least 35,000 have been taken to Russia or occupied Crimea since February 2022, and some 1.6 million Ukrainian children remain under Russian occupation. Many are put through “re-education” and military training meant to erase their Ukrainian identity. Russia’s state youth army, Yunarmiya, now claims 1.8 million members.
The U.S.-Ukraine Foundation cannot force Russia to return these children. But there is one thing we, and every democratic government, can do: make sure those responsible are named, isolated and held accountable. That is why we advocate for targeted sanctions.
A complete picture, for the first time
Until now, there was no single place to see who has been sanctioned for these crimes, and by whom. Each government publishes its own list, in its own format. Our 2025 consolidated list was a first step. Now the Foundation has gone further.
Through our Center for Reuniting Families of Ukraine, we have built a database of every individual and organization on Ukraine’s official sanctions list for crimes against children: abduction, deportation, militarization, indoctrination and “re-education.” For each one, it shows whether Ukraine’s partners (the United States, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand and Japan) have also sanctioned them, when, and for what stated reason, with links to the official documents.
The data was collected from Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (GUR) “War & Sanctions” portal and the official sanctions lists of all eight partners, and checked against the original sources. It is current as of October 2, 2026, and will be updated every three months.
See the sanctions database
What the numbers show
- 362 individuals and 173 organizations are on Ukraine’s list, from Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, to regional officials, “patriotic” youth clubs, children’s camps and schools used for re-education.
- Only 118 of the 362 individuals and 33 of the 173 organizations have been sanctioned by at least one of Ukraine’s partners.
- That leaves 244 individuals and 140 organizations that Ukraine has identified but that no partner has sanctioned yet.
- Canada (71 individuals), the European Union (70) and Switzerland (69) have done the most. The United States has sanctioned 46 of these individuals and 5 of the organizations.
The gap is the story. Those who organize the deportation of children, run the camps and lead the militarized youth movements can still travel, bank and do business in much of the democratic world.
Why sanctions matter
Sanctions alone will not bring a single child home. But they tell perpetrators that their names are known and that there will be consequences. They tell the children, one day, that the world did not look away. And they show that democracies mean what they say about international law.
That is the message the Foundation has carried throughout 2026:
- In March, Foundation President Nadia K. McConnell submitted written testimony to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. House of Representatives, calling for expanded sanctions against those responsible for the abduction, indoctrination and militarization of Ukrainian children.
- In June, the Foundation hosted the webinar “The Myth of Sanctions: The Case for a Special Tribunal and Targeted Sanctions,” moderated by Carl Gershman, co-chair of our International Human Rights Task Force with Irwin Cotler. It was followed by “Numbers Matter: 20,000 to 700,000 – Russia’s Theft of Ukraine’s Children.”
- We are urging the ambassadors of partner countries in Washington to have their governments review the evidence and impose additional targeted sanctions.
The new database turns that advocacy into a working tool. It lets us show each government exactly whom Ukraine has identified and whom they have not yet sanctioned.
What you can do
Share this information with your elected officials, journalists and anyone who can press for action. Ask your government why those responsible for taking Ukraine’s children have not been sanctioned. And support the Foundation’s Forget-Me-Not campaign, because no matter how long these children remain in Russian hands, they must not be forgotten.