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Ukraine Confirms More Than 20,000 Children Were Unlawfully Deported or Forcibly Transferred
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Ukraine confirmed more than 20,000 cases of the unlawful deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children by Russia at an international conference in Toronto that opened on September 28.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported the figure on September 29, adding that 2,644 children have been returned so far.
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The Pathways to Peace: Second International Conference on Returning Ukrainian Children, Detained Civilians, and Prisoners of War is co-hosted by Ukraine, Canada, and Norway.
The two-day event focuses on efforts to return Ukrainian children, unlawfully detained civilians, and prisoners of war. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Norwegian State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson took part in the opening.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha addressed participants by video shortly after a Russian attack on Kyiv damaged the National Academy of Sciences building.
Sybiha said one Ukrainian prisoner of war lost 77 kilograms in five months of Russian captivity. He also said Russian forces established 11 torture chambers in and around Kherson during less than nine months of occupation.
“The return of Ukrainians is a key step toward peace,” Sybiha said, stressing that Ukraine would not accept compromises over those held by Russia.
“We will not stop until every one of them returns home,” he said.
Sybiha added that Ukraine is working on a UN General Assembly resolution addressing torture in Russian captivity, following the adoption in December 2025 of a resolution calling for the return of Ukrainian children.
Ukraine has identified more than 300 detention sites where Ukrainians are being held without access to international monitoring mechanisms, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Foreign Ministry said.
UN human rights monitors have repeatedly documented widespread torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russian captivity. In its latest reporting, the UN said nearly all released Ukrainian POWs it interviewed described having been subjected to torture or other ill-treatment.
The conference continues on September 29 with three thematic sessions focused on deported children, unlawfully detained civilians, and prisoners of war. Ukraine will chair the session on prisoners of war.
Earlier in September, Canadian sanctions on eight individuals over the deportation and militarization of Ukrainian children took effect on September 4, including the head of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, Grigory Gurov.
On September 18, the US president, Donald Trump, signed H.R. 5334 into law, making the forced deportation of Ukrainian children an explicit statutory ground for sanctions against Russia. The European Union had adopted an initial package in May, targeting 16 Russian officials and seven entities.
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