US senators seek to summon Russian ambassador to testify on deportation of Ukrainian children
Photo: According to human rights groups, Russia has deported at least 20,000 children from occupied territories (Getty Images)
US senators plan to summon Russian Ambassador to the United States, Alexander Darchiev, to testify regarding the abduction of Ukrainian children by occupying forces, according to The Hill.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Brian Schatz are reportedly working to organize hearings in the US Senate Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations focused on Russia’s campaign of abducting Ukrainian children.
According to The Hill, Schatz emphasized the importance of the Russian ambassador appearing before the committee to ensure accountability. He noted that the abductions represent a serious atrocity and that the US government must play a role in establishing the facts and helping to remedy the situation.
American officials are preparing to send an invitation to Russian Ambassador Alexander Darchiev, though they reportedly doubt he will agree to appear in person. Sources in the committee said that compelling a foreign envoy to attend such hearings would be practically impossible.
The exact date of the hearings has not yet been set. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington has begun preparations and expressed readiness to participate.
According to The Hill, human rights organizations estimate that Russia has forcibly deported at least 20,000 children from the occupied territories of Ukraine, while Russian authorities claim the figure is around 700,000.
Forced adoptions and indoctrination
Human rights organizations, including the Helsinki Commission and Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL), have documented hundreds of cases of forced adoption and re-education of Ukrainian children as part of what they describe as a systematic Kremlin program.
HRL data indicate that over 200 camps in Russia are used to train children for military service and to instill anti-Ukrainian sentiment.
HRL Director Nathaniel Raymond stated that the collected evidence will be used in legal proceedings against Russian President Vladimir Putin, the country’s children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, and other individuals involved. He also urged the international community to exert maximum pressure on Russia to disclose information about the whereabouts of deported children and to secure their return to Ukraine.
Earlier, Senator Lindsey Graham warned that if Russia fails to return the abducted Ukrainian children, he would advance legislation to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Ukraine's efforts to bring children home
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy launched the Bring Kids Back UA initiative aimed at returning Ukrainian children from Russia and occupied territories.
So far, around 2,000 children have been successfully repatriated. RBC-Ukraine recently reported that Ukraine managed to return 17 more children from the temporarily occupied territories of Russia.
