The Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, an independent body investigating Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, has presented its latest findings to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The report verified the deportation and transfer of 1,205 children from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia or other occupied regions. The commission concluded that these actions constituted crimes against humanity, specifically the deportation and forcible transfer of children, as well as their enforced disappearance.
The commission found that Russian authorities had claimed these relocations were humanitarian evacuations for safety reasons, but four years later, 80% of the children involved had not been returned. This, the report emphasized, violated international humanitarian law, which permits evacuations only for temporary reasons such as health or safety. The report also highlighted that many parents and guardians remained unaware of their children’s fate, with Russian authorities placing them in long-term care with families or institutions across 21 regions of Russia and occupied Ukraine. This process was described as part of a coordinated plan executed by high-level Russian leadership.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of war crimes related to the deportation of children from occupied Ukraine. Despite submitting 39 written requests for information on various issues, including the children’s relocation, the Commission has yet to receive a response from Russian authorities.
The report also provided evidence of mistreatment suffered by the 20% of children who were returned. These children were reportedly denied adequate medical care and food, with some facing harsh conditions in their new placements. One case involved a teenager whose desire to return to Ukraine led the foster family to contact the police, while another case tragically ended in the suicide of a young adolescent.
The Commission also investigated the treatment of Russian soldiers, interviewing 85 deserters who reported severe violence, coercion, and mistreatment by their commanders. Deserters described being treated as expendable, enduring mock executions, severe beatings, and even being tied to trees or buried in pits. The commission emphasized that these actions were not isolated incidents but were carried out with the knowledge, and often the participation, of commanders.
Additionally, the commission uncovered the recruitment of foreign nationals from 17 countries, who were promised civilian jobs in Russia but were coerced into signing contracts in a language they did not understand and sent to the frontlines to fight. The investigation also documented rights violations within the Ukrainian armed forces, including irregular detentions, lack of legal representation, and violence against conscientious objectors.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine was established by the Human Rights Council in March 2022 to investigate human rights violations, breaches of international humanitarian law, and related crimes stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The commissioners are not UN staff and work without financial compensation.
