The UN International Commission has classified as a crime against humanity the deportation, illegal transfer, and forced disappearance of children by Russia from the occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as the delayed repatriation of these children to Ukraine as a war crime. This was reported by the Independent International Commission of the UN on violations committed during the Russia–Ukraine war. The commission also published a new report detailing the results of investigations over the past year.
According to official Ukrainian data, since the full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia has deported or transferred about 20,000 Ukrainian children, including orphans and children from various childcare institutions. During this time, Ukraine, with the help of various intermediaries, has managed to return just over 2,000 of them.
The commission’s report states that Russian authorities deliberately and systematically withhold information about the children’s whereabouts, distribute them to orphanages, place them with foster families, and in some cases have them adopted by Russian families despite the existence of relatives in Ukraine. The commission considers this a crime against humanity—the enforced disappearance of children.
At the same time, the process of repatriating children, despite efforts by Ukraine and other intermediary states, is being delayed by Russia for years, which the UN international commission classifies as a war crime.
Instead of establishing a functioning system for returning children to their homeland, Russian authorities have “focused on long-term placement of children in families or institutions in the Russian Federation.” The commission also notes that deported and transferred Ukrainian children are issued Russian citizenship and listed on adoption portals.
Russian authorities deny accusations of deportation, claiming they “evacuated” children from combat zones. The UN commission states that evacuation is permissible during war, but it must be temporary, and children should be returned home as soon as possible.
The report also emphasizes that these actions are systematic, part of a broader coordinated policy, and that responsibility lies with Russian officials at all levels, including Vladimir Putin.
In spring 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and children’s ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova in connection with the deportation and illegal transfer of Ukrainian children.
