Two Years After the ICC Arrest Warrants, Thousands of Ukrainian Children Remain Hostages of Russia

On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, for illegal deportation, forced transfer, and coerced adoption of Ukrainian children.

A symbol of this criminal policy, Maria Lvova-Belova herself adopted a Ukrainian teenager—kidnapped from his family—who was originally from Mariupol.

Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova in Russia on May 31, 2024 – Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik via AP

Documented evidence shows that since 2014, Russia has orchestrated the forced relocation of Ukrainian children to its territory. Once torn from their homeland, these children are subjected to brainwashing, and their identity documents are altered to erase their origins.

According to Bring Kids Back UA, the initiative launched by President Volodymyr Zelensky to repatriate all forcibly deported Ukrainian children, 19,546 children have been deported. This crime, aimed at erasing the cultural and national identity of Ukrainian children and subjecting them to pro-Russian indoctrination, constitutes a violation of the Geneva Conventions and qualifies as a crime of genocide.

It is imperative to continue efforts to bring these children back home and to prosecute those responsible for these crimes. Every child must be reunited with their family. As of today, only 1,243 children have returned to Ukraine.

There can be no just and lasting peace until every Ukrainian child is back home.

#BringKidsBackUA