Ukraine’s kidnapped children could push Russia and Belarus onto terrorism sponsor list - NBC
Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin (Photo: kremlin.ru)
US Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal are considering introducing a bill that would designate Russia and Belarus as state sponsors of terrorism over the abduction of Ukrainian children, according to a post by NBC News journalist Kristen Welker on X.
According to her, the information came from a source familiar with the bill.
“Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., are floating the possibility of introducing a bill in the Senate that, if passed, could designate Russia and Belarus as state sponsors of terrorism over the kidnapping of Ukrainian children,” the journalist wrote.
Russia abducts Ukrainian children
Since 2014, children from the occupied Luhansk and Donetsk regions, as well as Crimea, have been systematically taken to various regions of Russia.
Last year, media reports, citing human rights activists, indicated that Belarus is also involved in the removal of children from Ukraine, directly under the supervision of self-proclaimed Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
Earlier, it was reported that Russia created an online catalog of Ukrainian children, mostly taken from occupied territories. Russian families are offered the chance to select a child for adoption based on eye color, hair color, and other characteristics.
Since the start of the full-scale war, Russia has taken more than 19,500 children from Ukraine, according to human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
The abduction of Ukrainian children has been cited as a reason 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.
Ukrainian authorities and volunteers are actively working to return children from Russia, with some successes. Recently, 11 children were successfully returned.
