Violently abducted, persuaded or isolated from any contact: Since the beginning of the war, the Russian army has abducted thousands of Ukrainian children in the most diverse ways. Most are taken to camps in Crimea, a Ukrainian territory that since 2014 has been under Moscow’s control. The initial premise is usually that the children spend a few weeks in the countryside, as if it were a “holiday camp”. There, they are then indoctrinated for weeks or months, until they are sent to orphanages or foster families in Russia. Another strategy implemented by Russian officials is to convince parents to go with their children and then stay in Crimea or travel to Russia.
According to Human Rights Watch, on April 5 the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) launched an investigation into Forced removal and deportation of Ukrainian children in the territories controlled by Moscow to the territory of the Russian Federation. Russian authorities speak of hundreds of children from Ukraine who have already been relocated to Russian families and given a new nationality. On March 17, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova. Arrest warrants were issued for illegal removal and deportation of children.
Many doctors and directors of institutions allegedly hid children from Russian troops to prevent them from being deported. The Ukrainian government organization, Children of War, points to nearly 20,000 missing children and more than 400 missing. In total, 361 children will have returned to Ukrainian territory.
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Source: Observadora
