On the eve of March 8, the European Union imposed sanctions «against those responsible for sexual and gender-based violence» — among them four Russians, as well as citizens of Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Myanmar and South Sudan. Information about this is published on the website of the European Commission.
As follows from the press release, with such a measure, the EU is trying to promote equality and protect women who are subjected to violence. “The growing oppression of women and girls around the world and violations of their human rights are alarming,” the European Commission website says.
Among those on the sanctions list are four Russian citizens. Two Moscow security officials Alexander Fedorinov and Ivan Ryabov, who were involved in detentions at anti-war rallies in March 2022 and torture in the Brateevo police station, and servicemen Nikolai Kuznetskov and Ramil Ibatullin.
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According to the European Union, Kuznetsov and Ibatullin participated in a full-scale invasion of Ukraine — the military under their leadership is involved in gender and sexual violence against a peaceful population.
“We are also deeply concerned by reports that the Russian Armed Forces are using sexual violence against women and children in Ukraine as a weapon of war. These acts constitute war crimes and those responsible must be brought to justice. We will continue to work with our international partners to make Russia pay for these atrocities,” the European Commission said in a statement.