Since 2014, Russia has forcefully deported over 19,500 Ukrainian children, with only around 1,000 being brought back to Ukraine. The deportations began with the invasion of Ukraine, and children are taken from various parts of Russian-occupied territories. The main challenge for Kyiv is verifying information about these children, as Russia has not been cooperative in providing information. The children’s identities are changed once they are in Russia, and they are subjected to military education as part of Russia’s colonial policy against Ukraine.
Once in Russia, Ukrainian children have their official documents altered to erase any ties to Ukraine. They are indoctrinated through youth military organizations of the Russian Federation, which is seen as part of Russia’s goal to raise a new generation for its army. The deportation of Ukrainian children is considered a war crime and genocide, with Moscow facing accusations of forcibly transferring children from Ukrainian territories to Russia. In March 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Children’s Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for their role in the unlawful deportation of children.
Despite Moscow denying the accusations of forced deportation, there is evidence of Ukrainian children being moved to Russia against their will. Lvova-Belova admitted to “adopting” a teenage boy from Mariupol, a city captured by Russia, and there are suspicions of other high-ranking Russian officials being involved in the scheme. While Kyiv has information on thousands of children deported to Russia, Lvova-Belova claimed that around 700,000 Ukrainian minors have been “transferred” to Russia since the invasion began. With the prospect of more children being at risk, efforts to liberate Ukrainian territories are seen as crucial to prevent further deportations.
The Ukrainian Commissioner for Human Rights emphasized the need to liberate the whole territory of Ukraine to establish a mechanism for receiving information about deported children. This is seen as the only way to determine the actual number of children deported to Russia, which is likely to be significantly higher than the current estimates. With over 1.5 million Ukrainian children living in Russian-occupied territories, there is a real danger of them being deported to Russia. Kyiv must take action to prevent further deportations and protect Ukrainian children from being used as pawns in Russia’s military policies.
