Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine has catastrophic consequences for children.
The Kremlin regime continues its criminal practice of forced displacement and illegal deportation of Ukrainian children, systematically obstructing their repatriation and reunification with their families in Ukraine.
According to a report published on March 12, 2026 by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, the illegal deportation, forced displacement, and enforced disappearances of Ukrainian children by Russian authorities qualify as crimes against humanity.
Previously, Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, publicly claimed the “resettlement” of over 700,000 Ukrainian children to Russia.
These children are being dispersed across Russian territory, primarily far from Ukraine, in the Ural, Siberian, and Far Eastern regions.
Approximately 1.6 million Ukrainian children remain hostages of the Russian authorities. This figure includes those who have been illegally deported or forcibly displaced, as well as children who, due to extraordinary circumstances, find themselves stuck in territories currently occupied by Russia.
To date, Ukraine has documented over 20,570 individual reports of illegal deportations and forced displacements. On top of that, Russia refuses to provide any information regarding these children to Ukrainian authorities, international organizations, or third-party mediators.
This lack of transparency remains the primary obstacle to locating these children and verifying.
Following deportation, Russian authorities continue to violate the rights of Ukrainian children by changing their citizenship, placing them with Russian families, and actively preventing them from leaving the country. At least 380 Ukrainian children have been placed under “temporary guardianship”, which actually means illegal adoption.
These children suffer deep psychological trauma and are subjected to pro-Russian and militaristic indoctrination. The Regional Center for Human Rights of Ukraine has documented 165 “re-education camps”, dedicated to the militarization and Russification of Ukrainian children. These camps operate in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, and, most recently, North Korea.
This is not merely a sinister crime of child abduction. It is a centralized, state-sanctioned campaign to erase Ukrainian identity. Russian officials at all levels actively participate in these actions, systematically severing the children’s ties to Ukraine and burying their memories of home.
These coordinated efforts constitute an ominous campaign that meets the definition of ethnic cleansing under the Genocide Convention.
Russia’s forced deportation of Ukrainian children stands as the largest state-sponsored child abduction operation in modern history. This crime must be thoroughly investigated, and those responsible held accountable.
We cannot stop until every single child is returned to where they belong: with their families, in their Homeland.
Will live in safety and freedom.