Kremlin-linked programme accused of forcibly relocating Ukrainian children
Russian presidential planes and funds were used in a programme that involved taking children from occupied Ukrainian territories, stripping them of their Ukrainian identity, and placing them in Russian families, according to a report by the Yale School of Public Health.
The study, published on Tuesday and supported by the US Department of State, identified 314 Ukrainian children taken to Russia in the first months of the war in Ukraine. According to the project's authors, these actions were systematic and carried out as part of a Kremlin-funded programme to "Russify" the children.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his children's rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, for alleged war crimes involving the deportation of Ukrainian children.
Lvova-Belova stated at the time that her commission acted on humanitarian grounds to protect children in a war zone. Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Kremlin stated that it could not respond to questions sent on Monday due to a lack of time.
New research, first reported by Reuters, presents details of the alleged deportation programme and the individuals involved, including - according to the lead researcher - new ties to Putin.
Nathaniel Raymond, the executive director of Yale's Humanitarian Research Lab, said that he is set to present the findings at the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday. The United States is presiding over the 15-member body this month.
Raymond said that the research provides evidence that could support additional ICC charges against Putin for the "forcible transfers" of individuals from one national and ethnic group to another.
He added that the report proves that "the deportation of Ukraine's children is part of a systematic, Kremlin-led programme" aimed at making them Russian citizens.
Under international law, forcible transfer is a crime against humanity.
In response to questions from Reuters, the ICC prosecutor's office said the Yale report is useful in our ongoing work on this matter. It declined to provide information on charges or actions that might arise from investigations related to Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, referring to the report, wrote on platform X that "Ukraine is tirelessly working to ensure our children return home and that all those responsible for these heinous crimes are punished."
Ukraine's prosecutor general said that the Yale report complements their own investigations into the fate of the children, describing "a well-planned Kremlin policy with legislative changes, political decisions, and dedicated funding."
In response to ICC charges last year, Lvova-Belova said that Russia had not moved anyone against their will or the will of their parents or legal guardians, whose consent was always required unless they were missing. She added that children were placed with temporary legal guardians and were not given up for adoption.
Russia, which does not recognise the ICC, stated that the court's warrants are meaningless. However, the court's decisions could limit the travel of those named in the warrants, as 124 member states are obliged to enforce them.
The research is based on data obtained from three Russian governmental adoption databases over a 20-month period. Yale's investigation then analysed the logistics and funding of the alleged programme and confirmed the identities of 314 children.
The research is part of an initiative led by the US Department of State during Joe Biden's presidency to document potential violations of international law and crimes against humanity committed by Russia and forces allied with Russia in Ukraine.
The report states that Ukrainian children brought to Russia were subjected to "pro-state and militarised propaganda," noting that such "patriotic re-education" has been documented in all facilities processing the children.
Reuters has documented the transfer of thousands of children to Russian camps, the forced naturalisation of Ukrainians, and Belarus's involvement in this programme.
Stephen Rapp, US ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues during President Barack Obama's administration and a former prosecutor in the international tribunals for Rwanda and Sierra Leone, reviewed the report and told Reuters that "it proves their direct involvement, making changes to law and practice to allow and accelerate coercive adoptions that would have been illegal under Russia's own law in February 2022."
Kyiv estimates around 19,500 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied Crimea since the invasion. Lvova-Belova has challenged Kyiv's numbers and asked it to provide evidence.
According to the report, Russia began taking Ukrainian children from occupied areas of Ukraine several days before the February 2022 invasion.
Russian Air Force and aircraft under the direct control of Putin's office transported groups of children from Ukraine on Russian military transport planes marked with the Russian Federation's flag between May and October 2022, the report stated.
Russia's Aerospace Forces and aircraft under the direct control of Putin's office transported multiple groups of children from Ukraine on Russian Federation-flagged military transport planes between May and October 2022.
Children transported to the Chkalovsky military airport near Moscow on 16th September 2022, were moved from the occupied Ukrainian territories of Donetsk and Luhansk to the Russian city of Rostov, near the Ukrainian border, and then flew on an aircraft numbered RA-85123, according to the report.
The aircraft is a TU-154M operated by the 223rd Flight Squad of the Russian Defence Ministry - it added. The flight data on Flightradar24.com also confirmed this.
Of the 314 identified Ukrainian children, 166 were placed directly with Russian citizens, according to the report. The remaining 148 were listed in Russian databases for child placement, with about one-third subsequently placed with Russian citizens.
