The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has released a report classifying the mass removal and forced transfer of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation as a war crime. Investigators found that the deportation of thousands of minors from occupied territories was coordinated at the highest state level with the direct involvement of Putin. This was reported by the BBC, writes UNN.
Details
According to Ukraine, the number of illegally removed children reaches 20,000, of which the UN commission has so far documented over 1,200 cases in detail. About 80% of these children have not yet returned home, and their whereabouts often remain unknown to their guardians. Russian authorities placed Ukrainian children in foster families, forcibly granting them Russian citizenship and severing ties with their homeland.
I am still looking 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
Consequences for children and international prosecution
Children who managed to return tell of cruel treatment and psychological pressure. The report mentions a case where a child from an orphanage in Russia was told that Ukraine "no longer exists" and that his parents had died. The UN considers such actions to be the creation of a "coercive environment" that inflicts deep trauma on minors.
The story of child abduction was exaggerated. The children were rescued from the combat zone and there are no problems with their return
To date, Ukraine has managed to return only about 2,000 children. The repatriation process remains extremely difficult due to systemic obstacles from Moscow, which led to the ICC issuing arrest warrants for the Russian leadership back in 2023.