Since the beginning of this year, there have been no transfers of Ukrainian children to Belarus, or they have not been communicated. Kateryna Rashevska, a lawyer-expert at the Regional Center for Human Rights, told UNN journalist about this. She noted that the reason why Belarus might have quieted down could be the desire to get away with accusations of re-education and deportation of Ukrainian children.
What we noticed is that since the beginning of this year, January-February, there have been no transfers of children to Belarus, or it has not been communicated. There was a group (of children - ed.) that went for the New Year holidays at the end of December and they returned to the occupied territory in January, but since then no one has gone.
The lawyer named several assumptions as to why Belarus has quieted down with the transfer of Ukrainian children.
"Firstly, the father (Lukashenka - ed.) was busy with his "elections". The second assumption, and it is more fundamental, is that Belarus plans to get away with accusations of re-education and deportation of Ukrainian children. It also sees itself as a certain mediator, perhaps, in achieving certain peace agreements, or in other agreements that will specifically concern children. And therefore, they just quieted down," Rashevska explained.
However, she noted that the general director of the Russian "charitable foundation" "Believe in Yourself" Oleksiy Talai, who is in charge of the process of deporting children from the occupied territories to the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as their transfer for the purpose of re-education and militarization, indoctrination, has already announced in his recent interview that a huge center is being built in Belarus, where children from the occupied territories of Ukraine will regularly come.
He calls it Donbas. For him, Donbas is everything, including the occupied Zaporizhzhia region and Kherson region. This center will host, among others, children with disabilities, children with special status, orphans, and children deprived of parental care. All of this is being built with the money of the Union State, that is, with the assistance of the Russian Federation. The project is supported by their Natalia Kochanova from the Belarusian side and by Valentina Matviyenko, her counterpart from the Russian Federation. That is, this is the highest level of cooperation, the highest level of re-education.
Rashevska reminded that last year a communication was submitted to the International Criminal Court regarding Belarus's role in the militarized re-education of Ukrainian children, in the transfer of Ukrainian children to Belarus for such a purpose.
"Together with us, Lithuania, as a state, submitted a communication regarding Belarus's role in the deportation of Ukrainian children. As of today, we have not yet received any reaction in the form of an investigation into Belarusian top politicians, or, for example, we also do not have arrest warrants at the ICC level, but back in September, the ICC stated that it has jurisdiction to consider such issues. This is already a significant step forward, it gives us some hope," Rashevska said.
Transfer of Ukrainian children to Kazakhstan
"As for other states, such as Kazakhstan, we recorded transfers there in the summer. Perhaps, someone will still go, because this is a regular project co-organized by Roscosmos and "Movement of the First". Children go there to the Baikonur cosmodrome (in Kazakhstan - ed.), which is actually permanently owned, leased by the Russian Federation, that is, Kazakhstan as a state is there only so-so," Rashevska said.
In addition, the lawyer commented on cases of the Russian Federation taking Ukrainian children to India and China.
"As for transfers to India and China. They were very sporadic last year, occurring only once. Although, as for India, Russian figures expressed some hope there that in 2025 it would be on a regular basis," Rashevska said.
However, Rashevska emphasized that the Ukrainian side has well-founded beliefs that India and China did not know that these were children from the occupied territories.
"It is very possible that their documents were issued in Rostov along with Rostov children, because, for example, children were taken to India specifically in a group of Rostov children, probably to hide the fact that they were from the occupied territories (of Ukraine - ed.). Therefore, we do not insist that arrest warrants be issued against figures from India and China here," Rashevska noted.
The expert of the Regional Center for Human Rights emphasized that they are not sure that this has the character of interstate cooperation, as in the case of Belarus through the Russian Federation.
But it is necessary to pay attention to this, because these are not some depoliticized trips, just to see China or India, which could possibly be justified by the best interests of the child. These are trips where children from the so-called LPR make a presentation for children from India on many slides, where they talk about the history of the "LPR" as part of Russia and how Ukraine allegedly abused and occupied them there. That is, this is a politicized activity where Ukrainian children are already turned into agents of Russian propaganda.
Rashevska noted that Ukraine would like to cooperate with India and China on the return of Ukrainian children deported by Russia.
"India and China are not currently members of the international coalition for the return of Ukrainian children, unfortunately. India and China are members of BRICS, so they have some cooperation with the Russian Federation. We see India and China as a certain mediating peacekeeping mission, and our vision of peace includes the return of Ukrainian children along with the return of civilian prisoners of war, this is the fourth point of the Peace Formula. Therefore, their place can be," Rashevska said.
She noted that this is why Ukraine's reaction to such transfers is quite balanced.
"I will not criticize here, because indeed it is a very small number. In China, only one child was taken out. 10 children from the occupied territory were taken to India, all children returned. There was no sign of interstate partnership. Everything was organized through Rossotrudnichestvo, the Russian House, Russian embassies, etc.," Rashevska said.
She emphasized that this is a deliberate operation by Russia to try to harm Ukraine's ties with other states that could potentially play an important role in the peacekeeping process.
Belarus sends Ukrainian children to train with the military - media11.01.24, 12:41 • [views_25988]
Iryna Suslova, the representative of the Commissioner for Children's Rights, told UNN journalist that Russia uses Belarus as an intermediary country for the transfer of Ukrainian children.
"Deportation is the forced movement of a person outside the territory of Ukraine across the border line. (In the Russian Federation - ed.) they simply began to use a transit country, sending them to summer camps in Belarus, and then from Belarus some of them (Ukrainian children - ed.) return, and some do not return to the occupied territories. We have assumptions that they are simply deported through the territory of Belarus, that is, it is used as an intermediary country," Suslova said.
However, she noted that this requires qualification, investigation, and verification.
"This is already a matter for the Prosecutor General's Office, the SBU, because we do not investigate these crimes," Suslova said.
Addition
In 2023, the European Parliament asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to consider issuing an arrest warrant for Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka.
MEPs noted that Belarus is responsible for the damage caused to Ukraine and the crimes committed in Ukraine, including through the regime's role in the illegal transfer of children.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, reported in July 2024 that communication with the Belarusian side is also taking place regarding Ukrainian children who were deported to Belarus.
In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Commissioner for Children's Rights Lvova-Belova for committing an international crime – the illegal deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children.
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