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1205 Kids From Five Regions—UN Commission Verifies Russian Deportation of Ukrainian Children as War Crimes
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
An independent United Nations commission investigating human rights violations in Ukraine has officially classified the deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children by Russia as both crimes against humanity and war crimes.
This finding was reported in the commission’s latest report on March 9.
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“Compelling evidence concerning the deportation and transfer of a total of 1205 children from five oblasts in Ukraine, verified by the Commission, has led it to conclude that these acts amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes of deportation and forcible transfer of children,” the commission’s report states.
The UN also noted that Russian authorities systematically failed to inform parents or legal guardians about the whereabouts of their children, keeping them under duress and preventing their return.
Russia did not establish a system to facilitate the children's return; instead, the occupying forces sought to place them in long-term residence with families or institutions within the Russian Federation. Throughout 2022, Russian authorities claimed that adoption by Russian families was the best option for these children.
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According to the UN investigation, 80% of these children have still not returned to Ukrainian government-controlled territory. Those who managed to arrange their return faced numerous obstacles, delays, and security risks.
“Many parents and legal guardians remain unaware of the fate and whereabouts of the children and are still searching for them. Children suffered from trauma and anxiety. A child who managed to return to Ukraine, stated, ‘I was sad, I was scared. I worried that I would have to live in the Russian Federation’,” the statement read.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has expressed its support for the release of the report by the United Nations Independent International Commission on violations in Ukraine, along with the commission's conference document addressing the deportation, transfer, and enforced disappearances of Ukrainian children.
“The published materials contain new significant evidence of serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights committed by the Russian Federation during its armed aggression against Ukraine,” the ministry’s statement on March 10 read.
The MFA also urged the international community to increase pressure on the aggressor state to stop severe breaches of international law, guarantee access for international monitoring and humanitarian bodies to the detention sites of Ukrainian citizens, support the return of unlawfully deported children, and ensure accountability for those responsible.
In addition, Ukraine has uncovered information regarding 20,000 Ukrainian children who have been forcibly relocated or deported by Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets explained that, according to international humanitarian law, all Ukrainian children currently in Russia are considered victims of forced relocation or deportation.
He highlighted that Russia is using these children as a “mobilization resource,” and stressed that the underlying objective of these actions forms part of a broader Russian strategy aimed at committing genocide against the Ukrainian people.
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-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
