European Parliament Condemns Russia's War Crimes Against Ukrainian Children

The European Parliament has strongly condemned the violent actions of the Russian Federation and Belarus in the mistreatment of Ukrainian children, including murder, forced transfer, and deportation. Since February 2022, around 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported to Russia and Belarus or detained in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, with only 1,293 returned and 624 confirmed dead. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova for their responsibility in these war crimes.

Key Takeaways:

• Around 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported to Russia and Belarus or detained in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories since February 2022.
• Only 1,293 children have been returned, with 624 confirmed dead, according to President Zelenskyy's 'Bring Kids Back UA' initiative.
• The real figures are probably much higher, as these transfers and deportations continue, according to the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL).
• International law prohibits forcible transfer to an occupied territory or deportation from an occupied territory to the territory of the occupier, which is a war crime under the Rome Statute and may amount to genocide under the Genocide Convention.
• The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova for their responsibility in the war crime of unlawful transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children.
• The European Parliament urges the EU to hold those responsible to account and to sanction individuals and entities implicated in these crimes.
• The Parliament demands that these crimes cease immediately and that Russia reports the identities and whereabouts of all deported Ukrainian children and ensures their well-being and safe and unconditional return.
• Russian federal and local authorities are urged to grant international organisations access to all deported Ukrainian children.
• The forced imposition of Russian citizenship on deported children and their state-sponsored adoption by Russian families are denounced as part of a deliberate policy of forced assimilation.

Statistics:

• 20,000: The estimated number of Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia and Belarus or detained in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories since February 2022.
• 1,293: The number of children returned, according to President Zelenskyy's 'Bring Kids Back UA' initiative.
• 624: The number of confirmed dead children, according to President Zelenskyy's 'Bring Kids Back UA' initiative.
• March 17, 2023: The date the ICC issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova.

Sources:

• European Parliament, (no date provided)
• Yale Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL)
• International Criminal Court (ICC)
• President Zelenskyy's 'Bring Kids Back UA' initiative
• European Convention on Human Rights
• Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols
• Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC)
• UN Convention on the rights of the child
• Genocide Convention (CPPCG)