The United Nations has accused Russia of deporting Ukrainian children during the war, claimed by investigators to be widespread and violations of international law.
The U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluded that thousands of children were unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred from Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine to Russia or Russian-controlled territories following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia’s actions, per investigators, amount to crimes against humanity.
In a statement provided to Military.com on Wednesday, the commission said Russian authorities committed “the crimes against humanity of deportation and forcible transfer of children, and of their enforced disappearance.”
Investigators said the deportations occurred in several Ukrainian regions occupied by Russian forces during the war.
The findings are part of a broader report prepared for the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. A related conference room paper accompanying the report provides additional details about the deportation and forcible transfer of children from Ukraine, including documentation of transit locations and placement of children inside Russia and Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
Military.com reached out for comment to the Ukrainian government, U.S. State Department, International Criminal Court and several human rights organizations for comment.
UN Investigators Document Systematic Child Deportations
The commission documented 1,205 verified cases of Ukrainian children transferred from five regions affected by the war, according to the report. Investigators said roughly 80% of the children identified in those cases had not returned.
Those cases involved children taken from areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia—territories that belonged to Ukraine but were annexed by Russia after the conflict began.
The commission said Russian authorities initially justified large-scale relocations of children as evacuations due to the risks of armed conflict. Investigators said those evacuations were not temporary as required under international humanitarian law because most children have not been returned years later.
Ukrainian authorities say the total number of children taken during the war could be significantly higher. Kyiv estimates nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been deported or transferred since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The U.N. commission said its findings were based on extensive documentation and interviews with victims, relatives and officials as part of its broader investigation into war crimes during the conflict.
Investigators said some children were removed from state institutions, orphanages and boarding schools, while others were separated from relatives during evacuations or military operations in occupied territories. Many were later transported to facilities, camps or foster programs inside Russia or Russian-controlled territories, where some children were placed with Russian families or in state institutions.
The report said some children were granted Russian citizenship and placed in adoption or foster care programs, as part of steps investigators said were designed to integrate them into Russian society.
The commission said Russian authorities coordinated legislative, administrative and practical measures to facilitate deportations, transfers and the placement of children with families or institutions inside Russia. Investigators said some of those measures were adopted shortly before Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
The commission’s report also includes a map documenting regions in Ukraine from which children were deported or transferred, transit locations inside the Russian Federation or Russian-occupied areas, and regions where children were later placed with families or institutions.
International law prohibits occupying powers from forcibly transferring children from occupied territory. Investigators said the pattern of deportations appeared widespread and systematic, raising potential violations of international humanitarian law.
War Crimes Investigations Intensify Over Child Transfers
The findings could increase international legal pressure on Russia’s leadership as investigators continue building cases tied to the war in Ukraine.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of responsibility for the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children.
Prosecutors said the transfers may constitute war crimes under international humanitarian law, which prohibits occupying powers from forcibly moving civilians, including children, from occupied territory.
The International Criminal Court, based in The Hague in the Netherlands, investigates genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes when national courts are unable or unwilling to prosecute them.
Russia is not a member of the court and does not recognize its jurisdiction. The arrest warrants restrict the Russian leader’s travel to countries that are members of the court because those governments would be obligated to detain him.
The commission also said unjustified delays in returning deported children could constitute an additional war crime.
The deportation and forcible transfer of children is a grave violation of international law. Children must never be separated from their families and communities coercively. - Erik Møse, chair of the commission, in a statement provided Wednesday to Military.com.
The commission said evidence collected during the investigation indicated authorities acted pursuant to a policy developed and carried out at the highest levels of the Russian government. Investigators said the involvement of President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova had been visible since the early stages of the program.
The deportations of civilians have also been cited in broader investigations into abuses against Ukrainians during the war, including allegations that large numbers of civilians were detained or transferred to Russia from occupied areas as part of a wider pattern of violations.
The commission’s report also examined several additional issues linked to the war, including trials conducted by courts in the Russian Federation and in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war, the recruitment of foreign nationals to fight with Russian forces, allegations of violent practices within the Russian armed forces, legal rulings in Ukraine related to collaboration with occupying authorities, reported violations during mobilization into the Ukrainian armed forces, and incidents of sexual and gender-based violence during the conflict.
Moscow Rejects War Crimes Claims
Russian officials have repeatedly denied allegations that the transfers of Ukrainian children were unlawful.
Moscow has said the relocations were humanitarian evacuations designed to move children away from active combat zones during the war.
Russian authorities have argued the children were placed in temporary housing, medical facilities or foster programs to ensure their safety while fighting continued in occupied regions of Ukraine.
Ukraine has disputed Russia's position, saying that many children were transferred to Russia without the consent of parents or legal guardians, while others were separated from relatives during evacuations or military operations.
Investigators with the United Nations commission said documentation and witness testimony suggested the transfers were organized and systematic rather than temporary evacuations.
The commission said many of the removals did not meet the legal requirements for temporary evacuation under international humanitarian law, including the requirement to obtain parental or guardian consent and ensure children are returned once conditions allow.
Some children were later placed in Russian foster or adoption programs and in certain cases were granted Russian citizenship, steps investigators said raised serious concerns under international humanitarian law.
The commission also said Russian authorities often failed to disclose the whereabouts of the children to parents or legal guardians, making reunification extremely difficult.
Families and Ukrainian officials have said locating children after the transfers has often been difficult, with some cases taking months or years to resolve.
Efforts to Return Deported Children
Ukrainian authorities, international organizations and advocacy groups have launched initiatives aimed at identifying deported children and facilitating their return.
Kyiv created the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, a government-led program designed to locate children taken during the war and coordinate efforts with international partners to return them to their families.
Ukrainian officials said about 2,000 children have been returned so far, though thousands remain unaccounted for.
Recovery operations have sometimes involved negotiations with intermediaries and humanitarian groups to bring children out of Russian-controlled areas. In several cases, children who had been taken to Russia were later reunited with relatives after rescue efforts coordinated by aid organizations.
The commission said many families have had to locate their children on their own and organize return efforts despite significant logistical and security obstacles. Officials said recovery efforts remain difficult because many children were transported to locations deep inside Russia or placed with foster or adoptive families.
