The United Nations has officially stated that the deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia constitute a crime against humanity and a war crime. This assertion comes from a new report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine.
The report details how Russian authorities, acting at the highest levels, have deported “thousands” of children from occupied Ukrainian territories. It specifically highlights Vladimir Putin’s “direct involvement” as being evident from the outset of these actions.
Scale of the Deportations
Ukraine estimates that nearly 20,000 children have been illegally sent to Russia and Belarus. The UN Commission has corroborated 1,205 cases of children taken from Ukrainian territories by Moscow during 2022. Significantly, 80 percent of these identified children have not yet been returned. Many parents and guardians remain unaware of their children’s whereabouts.
This widespread situation amounts to enforced disappearance and an unjustifiable delay in repatriation. Such actions are classified by the UN as crimes against humanity and war crimes, respectively. The majority of children referenced in the UN report hailed from the regions designated as the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, Ukrainian territories that Moscow has illegally claimed as its own.
Pretext for Evacuation and Russian Response
The report indicates that shortly before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow evacuated these children to the Russian Federation. The stated reason for this action was that the children were at risk of an imminent attack by Ukraine. Following their relocation, the children were placed with families or in institutions and subsequently granted Russian citizenship.
Moscow has consistently denied accusations of forcibly removing children from Ukrainian territory. Vladimir Putin has previously stated that the narrative of “child abductions” was “exaggerated” and insisted that the children involved were “rescued” from a war zone. He also maintained at the time that there were “no problems” with returning these children to their homeland.
Difficulties in Return and Psychological Impact
Kyiv, however, has always contended that this has not been the case. The UN report further substantiates these claims, noting that children have encountered significant obstacles in returning to Ukraine. This forced removal, coupled with severed ties to their homeland and existing within a “coercive environment” in Russia, has inflicted “deep distress upon the children,” according to the UN.
Children who manage to return frequently suffer from “trauma, anxiety, and fear of abandonment,” the report states, often stemming from harsh treatment experienced in Russia. Anecdotal evidence within the report describes a scenario where a child in a Russian orphanage was told that Ukraine “does not exist anymore, everything has burnt down, and your parents have probably died.”
A mother desperately searching for her daughter expressed her profound fear regarding her child’s survival and what she might be thinking of her, especially in an environment where “many people hate Ukrainians.” This sentiment underscores the emotional toll on families separated and traumatized by these actions.
International Legal Actions and Individual Cases
In 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin, alongside his commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova. They are accused of the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children. Lvova-Belova herself, in an interview, described “taking in” a 15-year-old boy from Mariupol. She spoke of “re-educating” him despite his initial reluctance to go to Russia.
Ukraine reports that it has successfully recovered approximately 2,000 children to date. There have also been reports of involvement from US First Lady Melania Trump in facilitating the reunification of some children. Last year, she indicated having an “open channel of communication” with Putin after he responded to her letter concerning the child victims of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Broader Context of the Conflict
The ongoing war in Ukraine persists despite multiple rounds of negotiations involving Russian and Ukrainian representatives, as well as recent involvement from an American delegation. The conflict, now in its fifth year, has resulted in over 15,000 civilian deaths, more than 41,300 injuries, and the displacement of 3.7 million people.