The International Independent Commission of the UN has officially classified the actions of the Russian Federation regarding the deportation, illegal transfer, and enforced disappearance of Ukrainian children from occupied territories as a crime against humanity. The delay in returning the children to their homeland is categorized as a war crime.
This is reported by Finway
UN Report: Scale and Systematic Nature of Violations
A recently released report by the UN commission details the findings of investigations conducted over the past year. The document states that the evidence collected indicates that the Russian authorities have committed crimes against humanity, namely deportation, forced transfer, and disappearance of children. At the same time, it confirms the preliminary conclusion regarding the illegality of Russia’s actions towards Ukrainian children, which constitute war crimes. The unjustified delay in the repatriation of children is also emphasized as a war crime.
“The evidence collected allows the Commission to conclude that the Russian authorities have committed crimes against humanity, such as deportation and forced transfer, as well as the enforced disappearance of children. The Commission also reaffirms its preliminary conclusion that the Russian authorities illegally deported and transferred children, which is a war crime, and unjustifiably delayed their repatriation, which is also a war crime,” the document states.
The Commission emphasized that Russia’s actions violate international humanitarian law and norms in the field of human rights protection. It is noted that these actions were not motivated by the protection of children’s interests, but rather led to violations of their fundamental rights.
Systematic Removal and Scale of Crimes
According to the report, the Russian authorities deliberately conceal information about the whereabouts of deported children, placing them in orphanages, and transferring them to foster or Russian families, even in the presence of relatives in Ukraine. Such actions are equated to another crime against humanity – the enforced disappearance of children. The process of returning children home is prolonged for years, despite the efforts of Ukraine and international mediators.
Instead of creating an effective system for the return of children, the Russian Federation has focused on their prolonged stay in Russian families or institutions. Children are forcibly granted Russian citizenship, and their profiles are posted on adoption portals.
The official position of Russia is to deny the facts of deportation, while the authorities of the country claim “evacuation” of children from combat zones. The UN Commission explains that evacuation in wartime can only be a temporary measure, and the return of children to their homeland should occur as quickly as possible.
The report emphasizes that such actions are systematic in nature, forming part of a coordinated policy for which officials of the Russian Federation at all levels, including President Vladimir Putin, are responsible.
According to official Ukrainian data, over 20,000 children have been taken to Russia or remained in occupied territories during the full-scale war. Meanwhile, the Ombudsman of the Verkhovna Rada for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, has suggested that the actual number of deported children may reach 150,000, while the Children’s Ombudsman Daria Gerasimchuk estimated this figure to be between 200,000 and 300,000 children.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and the Russian Children’s Ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova on suspicion of war crimes related to the enforced deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children.
According to Lvova-Belova, since the beginning of the full-scale aggression, Russia has “accepted” about 4.8 million residents of Ukraine, including over 700,000 children. The Russian representative claims that most of the children allegedly arrived with their parents or other relatives.