Russia committed ‘crimes against humanity’ in deporting Ukrainian children: UN inquiry

Families hold portraits of their missing or captured relatives and friends as released Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) arrive after prisoners exchange in the Chernigiv region. Photo / Genya Savilov, AFP

Moscow’s deportation and forcible transfer of thousands of children from Ukraine to Russia amounts to a crime against humanity, a United Nations team of investigators says.

The UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine was established by the UN Human Rights Council shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The inquiry said Russia had deported or transferred “thousands” of children from occupied areas of Ukraine, of which 1205 were so far confirmed.

“Four years on, 80% of the children deported or transferred in the cases investigated by the commission have not returned,” it said.

Moscow has failed to establish a system for returning the children and has instead focused on long-term placement of the children with families or institutions in Russia, while relatives were not informed of their fate.

The commission confirmed its previous finding that Russian authorities had unlawfully deported and transferred children – as a war crime – “and that they have unjustifiably delayed their repatriation, which is also a war crime”.

These measures “were not guided by the best interests of the child”, and violated international law, the probe found.

Putin cited

It said the involvement of Russian President Vladimir Putin, “including through his direct authority over entities that have steered and executed this policy, has been visible from the outset”.

In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued a war crimes arrest warrant against Putin, accusing him of “unlawfully deporting” Ukrainian children.

The issue is highly sensitive in Ukraine and remains central to negotiations for a potential peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow.

According to Kyiv, nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly removed.

Russia insists it has moved some Ukrainian children from their homes or orphanages to protect them from hostilities.

As for Russian trials in the context of its invasion of Ukraine, the commission found that Russian authorities have “systematically fabricated evidence” and “systematically violated a range of fair trial guarantees”, while judges “have not acted with independence and impartiality”.

‘Extreme violence’

The commission also probed the situation of nationals from 17 countries who were recruited – either voluntarily or through deception – to fight with Russian troops in Ukraine.

They included men from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brazil, Cuba, Egypt, Ghana, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Nepal, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkey and Yemen.

“After training, usually lasting between one week and 30 days, they were forced to serve on frontlines in Ukraine, often assigned extremely dangerous duties,” it said in its report.

Commanders arbitrarily imposed “extreme violence” as punishment for refusing orders that meant almost certain death, with soldiers describing being treated like “cannon fodder”, sent on “meat assaults” without training or necessary equipment, and “forced to advance at all costs”.

“The evidence collected demonstrates abusive behaviour, cruelty, humiliation, inhuman treatment and a total disregard for human life and dignity, perpetrated with a sense of impunity,” the report said.

Regarding Ukraine, the report voiced concern about the overly broad definition and sometimes distorted interpretation of the crime of “collaboration”.

The commission also said reports about violent treatment of conscientious objectors during Ukrainian mobilisation were “a source of concern”.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha welcomed the report, stressing the need to “put an end to Russia’s sense of impunity”.

“The international community must increase pressure on Russia to compel the aggressor to stop the ill-treatment of POWs and civilian detainees, ensure their release, and secure the return of deported and forcibly transferred Ukrainian children,” he said on X.

The report will be presented at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday.

Moscow does not recognise the commission and does not answer its requests for access, information and meetings.

- Agence France-Presse