- Category
- Latest news
Ukrainian Prosecutors Charge 22 in Russian-State-Sponsored Forced Relocation of Children
- Authors
![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has announced that 22 individuals have been charged in connection with the forced relocation and deportation of Ukrainian children from Donetsk and Kherson regions.
This was reported by the head of the department overseeing criminal law compliance at the Office of the Prosecutor General, Yuliya Usenko during a press conference on the presentation of an analytical report on systematic violations of children's rights and international humanitarian law in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine on February 19.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
Four indictments related to 11 individuals have already been sent to court. Additionally, sanctions have been imposed on 255 individuals and 53 legal entities connected to these crimes.
“Deportation and militarization of Ukrainian children are not isolated incidents but part of a deliberate state policy of the Russian Federation aimed at destroying the Ukrainian identity of children and youth in the temporarily occupied territories,” emphasized Yuliya Usenko.
She noted that Russia’s legal framework is being systematically expanded to simplify the transfer of Ukrainian children to Russian families, and that a key element of Russia’s youth policy is their militarization through paramilitary youth movements such as “Yunarmiya,” “Dvizheniye Pervykh,” the “Warrior” center, and other structures.
“This practice was first implemented in the occupied Crimea and Sevastopol, as well as the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions before 2022. After the full-scale invasion, it spread to other temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions,” she added.
The Office of the Prosecutor General is currently verifying 19,546 cases of forced relocation of Ukrainian children to Russia. State verification of these data is ongoing.
Earlier, in November 2025, prosecutors announced charges against five individuals for the deportation of 367 Ukrainian children to Russia. Since then, some of the children have not been returned to Ukraine, with 159 of them being handed over to Russian families, according to the statement.
Additionally, an indictment has been sent to court against the former deputy head of the “Kherson Professional College No. 2,” which was created by the occupation authorities. According to the investigation, during the temporary occupation of the region, she facilitated the illegal relocation of seven Ukrainian children to Crimea, where they were held without legal representatives, forcibly taught according to Russian educational programs, prepared for service in the aggressor’s military, forcibly given Russian passports, and one minor has already been handed a draft notice.
“Each established fact of deportation, illegal relocation, or militarization of Ukrainian children is receiving appropriate legal evaluation within criminal proceedings. All those involved—regardless of their position and role in these crimes—will be held accountable,” emphasized Yuliya Usenko.
Since 2023, Ukraine successfully brought back 2,000 children from Russian-controlled areas through the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced.
-457ad7ae19a951ebdca94e9b6bf6309d.png)
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
