Kyiv accuses Russia of holding 1.6 million Ukrainian children amid ICC investigation
Ukraine has reported that up to 1.6 million of its children remain under the control of Russia, either deported or forced to live under occupation.
“According to estimates by Ukrainian human rights organizations, up to 1.6 million Ukrainian children are under Russia's control—deported or forced to live in occupation. Their Ukrainian identity is being systematically erased; they are coerced into accepting Russian citizenship, their personal data is altered, and they are drawn into military organizations and propaganda programs,” wrote Yermak, head of the Office of the President.
Yermak recalled that on March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Children's Rights Commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.
"This was the first step toward justice, where the world recognized that Russia is pursuing a planned policy of abducting and assimilating Ukrainian children. The ICC warrants are just the start. Ukraine will utilize all available national and international instruments to punish both the organizers and perpetrators of this crime," Yermak added.
He further noted that Ukrainian prosecutors recently filed another criminal indictment against those responsible for abducting 10-month-old Margarita Prokopenko from Kherson, who was unlawfully made a "Russian."
“We will not stop until all children are home. No peaceful world will be just if Ukrainian children remain in Russian hands. Two years ago, the world acknowledged that the deportation of Ukrainian children is a war crime,” he emphasized.
Russia forcibly relocated nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children, according to figures provided by the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets.