(WELLINGTON) – New Zealand has unveiled its 36th sanctions package against Russia, targeting 33 individuals and entities involved in the forced transfer of Ukrainian children and hostile cyber activity.
The measures, announced by Foreign Minister Winston Peters on Monday, bring the total number of sanctioned persons, entities and vessels linked to Russia to more than 2,000 since March 2022.
The latest designations focus heavily on those complicit in the abduction and “re-education” of Ukrainian minors from temporarily occupied territories.
“Children must never be used as instruments of war,” Peters said. “New Zealand remains deeply concerned about attempts to abduct and re-educate Ukrainian children within forced state programmes.”
In addition to trade restrictions already in force, the new package punishes operatives facilitating Moscow’s cyber warfare capabilities.
The Wellington decision follows the United States Senate’s passage of sweeping legislation to intensify economic pressure on Russia. The bipartisan bill allows for punitive secondary tariffs against nations still purchasing Russian oil and gas, a measure that could ensnare major buyers such as China and India.
New Zealand and allied partners are progressively expanding sanctions beyond direct restrictions on Russian firms and citizens, seeking to disrupt the revenue streams that finance the Kremlin’s war chest.