Russia’s forced transfers of Ukrainian children: New evidence presented
Photo: Russian Presidnet Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Aircraft and funds belonging to the administration of Russian President Vladimir Putin were used for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children, according to a study by the Yale University School of Public Health, cited by Reuters.
The new report, provided to Reuters, contains detailed information about the alleged deportation program and the individuals involved, including what the lead researcher described as new links to Putin.
Nathaniel Raymond, Executive Director of Yale's Humanitarian Research Lab, stated that he plans to present the findings to the UN Security Council on Wednesday, December 4.
According to Raymond, the study provides evidence supporting additional charges by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Putin for the "forcible transfer" of people from one national and ethnic group to another.
He also noted that the report proves that "the deportation of Ukraine's children is part of a systematic, Kremlin-led program" aimed at making them Russian citizens.
The report reveals that between May and October 2022, the Russian Aerospace Forces and aviation, directly controlled by Putin's administration, transported several groups of Ukrainian children on military transport aircraft bearing the flag of the aggressor country.
In May and October 2022, at least two groups of children were transported on aircraft operated by the Presidential Property Management Directorate under Putin's administration.
On September 16, 2022, children illegally abducted from occupied Ukrainian territories in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions were brought to the Chkalovsky military airfield near Moscow. A Tu-154M aircraft from the 223rd Flight Unit of the Russian Ministry of Defense was used for their transport.
The study, which lasted 20 months, tracked and identified 314 Ukrainian children deported by Russia. Of these, 148 were added to Russian adoption databases, 42 were adopted, placed under guardianship, or assigned Russian custodians. Another 166 children were placed in Russian families.
Deportation of Ukrainian children
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces have been systematically deporting Ukrainian children. They are taken to Belarus, Russia, and some to occupied Crimea.
According to Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, Russia has deported over 19,500 children from Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war. Over 1,000 of these children have been successfully returned home.
The deportation of Ukrainian children was the basis for the International Criminal Court in The Hague issuing arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia's Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.
