On April 13, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha met with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Vanessa Fraser, to discuss the return of Ukrainian children illegally deported by Russia. The minister emphasized that achieving sustainable peace is impossible without the return of all Ukrainian children home. At the same time, he noted that while more than 2,000 children have already been returned, a significant number still remain on the territory of the Russian Federation or in occupied regions.
This is reported by Kyiv24
“Russia systematically alters the documents of Ukrainian children, placing them in foster families, including in remote regions of the Russian Federation. Moreover, it is attempting in various ways to erase their identity. Cynically, Russia is also instrumentalizing children in this war – using them as leverage in negotiations”
International and Legal Assessment of Russia’s Actions
Andriy Sybiha stressed that Russia’s actions constitute a gross violation of international humanitarian law and qualify as war crimes. During the negotiations, the parties considered possible practical steps to stop these violations, including the implementation of the UN General Assembly resolution regarding the return of Ukrainian children, as well as mechanisms to enhance international accountability for the crimes committed.
In March, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine recognized the deportation, illegal transfer, and enforced disappearance of children from occupied territories as war crimes and crimes against humanity. The commission also emphasized that the delay in the repatriation of children constitutes a violation of international law.
Scale of the Deportation of Ukrainian Children
According to official Ukrainian data, since the onset of the full-scale war, more than 20,000 Ukrainian children have found themselves on the territory of the Russian Federation and in occupied regions. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, believes that the actual number of illegally transported children may reach 150,000, while the Parliament’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Daria Gerasimchuk, estimates this figure to be between 200,000 and 300,000.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian children’s ombudswoman Maria Lvova-Belova on suspicion of committing war crimes related to the forced deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied territories.
Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova stated in the summer of 2023 that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has “accepted” about 4.8 million citizens of Ukraine, of whom over 700,000 are children. According to her, most of these children allegedly arrived with parents or relatives.