The UN warned that families continue to search desperately for loved ones taken during the full‑scale invasion.
Presenting its latest report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the independent investigative panel said it had verified the deportation or forced transfer of 1 205 children from Russian‑occupied parts of Ukraine to locations inside Russia or other occupied areas.
“Based on new evidence, the Commission has now concluded that the Russian authorities committed two types of crimes against humanity: deportation and forcible transfer of children, as well as their enforced disappearance,” said Commission Chairperson Erik Møse.
Commissioner Pablo de Greiff said Russian officials had repeatedly claimed the relocations were humanitarian evacuations carried out for the children’s safety. “But four years later, 80%of the children from the documented cases have not been returned,” he told reporters.
He stressed that international humanitarian law permits evacuations only on a temporary basis and only for urgent medical or safety reasons. The Commission’s findings show that many parents and guardians still do not know the fate or whereabouts of their children.
Rather than establishing mechanisms to facilitate reunification, Russian authorities arranged long‑term placements “with families or institutions in 21 regions of the Russian Federation and in occupied areas of Ukraine”, de Greiff said. He described the practice as part of a “carefully organised plan” executed under the leadership of the Russian state.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes relating to the “illegal transfer” and deportation of Ukrainian children. A second warrant was issued for Maria Lvova‑Belova, Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights.
When asked about engagement with Moscow, de Greiff said the Commission had submitted 39 written requests for information regarding the removal of children and other violations. “We have never received a reply,” he said. The Commission’s work continues, despite restricted access to Russian‑held territory and the lack of cooperation from Russian authorities.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
