“UN inquiry finds Russia’s deportations of 20,000 Ukrainian children amounts to crimes against humanity “, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Reuters
March 10, 2026
In short:
Ukraine has said since 2022 close to 20,000 children have been illegally sent to Russia and Belarus against their will with some being trained and forced to fight against Ukrainian soldiers.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and five other Russians over illegal deportation of children, but Moscow has denied the claims.
What’s next?
Turkey has offered to host the next round of peace talks between Kyiv, Moscow and Washington.
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A United Nations investigation has found Russia’s deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022 amounts to crimes against humanity.
Ukraine said close to 20,000 children have been illegally sent to Russia and Belarus where they are sometimes subject to military training and forced to fight against their own troops.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and five other Russians over the illegal deportation of children.
Moscow denies it is taking children against their will, saying it has been evacuating people voluntarily to remove them from a war zone.
“In this report, the commission concluded that crimes against humanity and war crimes by Russian authorities have targeted children, who are among the most vulnerable victims,” the report said.
“These crimes have irreversible consequences on their lives and their future.”
The report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine studied the cases of 1,205 children from five regions in Ukraine and said 80 per cent of them have yet to return.
Its work is based on analysis of thousands of documents and submissions from rights groups as well as over 200 interviews, including with families of the missing and some children who made it home.Ukraine’s war through the letters of its children
Ukrainian children who have grown up amid four years of Vladimir Putin’s war have revealed their sadness, hope and torment.
“The deportations and transfers have originated from various locations across a wide geographic area in Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine, following a well-established pattern of conduct, indicating that these acts have been widespread and systematic,” the report said.
It also said Russian authorities at the highest level of government had helped coordinate the actions.
The findings will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday local time.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha welcomed the report and called on states to increase pressure on Russia to secure the return of deported children.
A spokesperson for Russia’s diplomatic mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
US-funded research last year showed Russia expanded its forced re-education programs of deported children and first lady Melania Trump has advocated for their release.
The inquiry’s findings come as leaders in Moscow and Ukraine prepare for the next round of US brokered peace talks, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had offered to host.
“We appreciate this initiative and hope it can produce results,” Mr Zelenskyy said.
It is expected further prisoner of war exchanges will be on the agenda following the successful release of 200 Russian and Ukranian POWs by each side earlier this month.
Despite peace talks, the war has continued with Ukraine’s military hitting a missile plant in Bryansk, 379 kilometres south-west of Moscow.
“The operation targeted the Bryansk plant which manufactured control systems for all types of missiles used by the Russian Federation,” Mr Zelenskyy said.
The governor of the Bryansk region, Alexander Bogomaz, said that six civilians were killed and 37 injured in the attack.
Reuters