UN: Deportation of Thousands of Ukrainian Children to Russia is a Crime Against Humanity
The UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry for Ukraine has released a latest report that reinforces the existence of serious violations of international law in the ongoing conflict. The UN has stated that the deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to Russian territory is not merely a consequence of war, but constitutes a crime against humanity and a war crime.
In the report, Russian authorities “at the highest level” are said to have deported thousands of children from occupied areas of Ukraine. The UN Commission affirms that President Vladimir Putin’s direct involvement has been “evident from the outset” of the transfer process.
Ukrainian government data reveals shocking figures. Nearly 20,000 children have been illegally sent to Russia and Belarus. So far, the UN Commission has identified 1,205 specific cases of children taken by Moscow throughout 2022.
Their fate has become increasingly dire. The report reveals that 80% of these children have not been returned to their homeland. Many parents and guardians remain unaware of the whereabouts of these children to this day. The UN regards this action as unlawful deprivation and unjustifiable delay in repatriation.
The majority of children originate from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Just before the full-scale invasion began, Moscow evacuated them under the pretext of threats from Ukrainian attacks. Upon arrival in Russia, these children were placed in orphanages or foster families and granted Russian citizenship.
Conditions in the facilities are reported to be highly coercive. A child in a Russian orphanage was even told by staff that their country, Ukraine, “no longer exists, everything has burned down, and your parents are probably dead.”
This suffering has also been experienced by the parents left behind. “I am still searching for my daughter, and I am very afraid of what she might think of me and how she is surviving [in Russia], where many people hate Ukrainians,” said one mother in the report.
Moscow consistently denies allegations of forced transfers. Vladimir Putin had stated that the narrative of child abduction is an “exaggerated” story and claimed they were instead “rescued” from the war zone.
However, in 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Putin and Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova. Lvova-Belova has even publicly acknowledged having “cared for” a teenage boy from Mariupol and conducting “re-education” despite the teenager’s initial refusal to be taken to Russia.
To date, Ukraine reports having successfully repatriated approximately 2,000 children. Amid diplomatic efforts involving various international parties, the conflict, now in its fifth year, has claimed over 15,000 civilian lives and displaced millions of people.