Ukraine says Russia planned abduction of Ukrainian children before 2014

The Russian Federation deliberately prepared to abduct Ukrainian children as part of its genocidal policy even before the start of its aggression in 2014, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said during the webinar “The Long-Term Impact of Russia’s Abduction of Ukrainian Children,” organized by the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) on Feb. 1.

“When we talk about the abduction of Ukrainian children, it is important to note that Russia consciously prepared for a genocidal policy, including abduction and the forced assimilation of Ukrainian children into Russian identity. This was legally planned even before the 2014 aggression,” Lubinets said.

Even before 2014, Russia developed measures to enable the abduction of Ukrainian children, including creating the “Yunarmiya” youth program, drafting legal frameworks, and establishing channels for the adoption of Ukrainian children by Russian families.

“At the same time as the occupation of Ukrainian Crimea, the Russians began abducting children. The first officially documented child legally adopted by a Russian family was recorded by the Ukrainian Ombudsman’s Office. This was a Ukrainian child from Crimea, and it happened in 2014,” Lubinets said.

After occupying parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Russia expanded this practice to the Donbas, Lubinets said.

According to the Ombudsman’s Office, 1.6 million Ukrainian children currently live in temporarily occupied territories, over 700,000 children are in the Russian Federation, around 20,000 children have been forcibly deported, and 1,975 children have already been returned to Ukraine after evacuation or deportation.

For more information about the webinar, follow the link.

This event forms part of the Ukrainian World Congress’s global campaign “Stand With Ukraine: Protect Future Generations,” launched in cooperation with member organizations and partners worldwide to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Events leading up to Feb. 24 can be registered on the campaign’s interactive map, where materials for global actions are also available.

Events leading up to Feb. 24 can be registered on the special interactive map at https://uaworldmap.ukrainianworldcongress.org/, where materials for global events are also available.