Ottawa/IBNS: As part of the Special Economic Measures (Ukraine) Regulations, and in direct response to Russias attempts to destroy Ukraines cultural sites, institutions and identity, Canada is imposing additional sanctions against 24 individuals and 17 entities in Ukraine, Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly has announced.
Besides extensive damage and complete destruction of a number of Ukraines cultural sites, thousands of missing Ukrainian cultural artifacts have been reportedly stolen by Russian forces their effort to erase Ukraines identity, in the temporarily occupied territories since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and prior to that during the attempted annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Canada will not let Russia strip Ukraine of its cultural heritage and will do everything in its power to end the Kremlins war on Ukrainian identity. These intentional and targeted attacks on Ukraines cultural property cannot remain unpunished, said Joly.
Canada is sanctioning people connected to Russias theft of Ukrainian cultural objects to counter the Kremlins efforts to Russify Ukraines culture.
The list of individuals being sanctioned includes Ukrainians who work at museums and other cultural centres who collaborate with Russia.
This sanction list contains newly created entities in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including ministries of education and culture, and individuals and entities related to private military companies that originated in Ukraine and are fighting for Russia.
In order to protect Ukrainian culture and identity, Russias attempts to forcefully impose its culture and education on the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine would result in these sanctions imposing further costs on so-called authorities in areas of Ukraine illegally occupied by Russian forces.
(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
