As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year, international efforts to ensure accountability for serious abuses remain essential. New findings from the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine have reinforced the urgency of renewing its mandate, as the body continues to document grave violations committed during the conflict. The report highlights why sustained international scrutiny is critical while the UN Human Rights Council considers extending the commission’s work.
One of the commission’s most serious findings concerns the deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia or Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. It verified that at least 1,205 children have been deported or transferred, with around 80 percent still not returned. The commission found that Russian authorities have systematically withheld information about the children’s locations from parents and legal guardians, while also obstructing efforts to bring them home. Instead, authorities have reportedly sought to place these children with families or institutions in Russia, leading the commission to conclude that these acts, including deportation, forcible transfer, and enforced disappearances, amount to crimes against humanity.
The report also documents serious violations of fair trial rights involving Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war brought before courts in Russia and in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. According to the commission, these courts have relied on fabricated evidence or testimony obtained under torture, while operating without judicial independence and under an apparent presumption of guilt. These findings raise major concerns about the use of judicial systems to legitimize abuse and repression in occupied territories and within the Russian Federation.
The commission’s conclusions align with broader findings from Human Rights Watch, which has also documented systematic torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees, acts that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Human Rights Watch has further reported repeated indiscriminate and unlawful attacks on civilian infrastructure, as well as deliberate drone attacks on civilians, all of which add to the growing body of evidence of grave violations committed during the war.
In Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, authorities continue to impose Russian laws, unlawfully seize civilian property, and pressure residents to take Russian citizenship and serve in the Russian military. They have also enforced Russian language and curriculum in schools, as part of what rights groups describe as a systematic campaign to suppress Ukrainian identity, language, and culture. These actions illustrate the broader pattern of coercion and control being imposed in occupied territories.
The United Nations Commission of Inquiry remains a key mechanism for accountability, as it helps preserve evidence, identify patterns of abuse, and support future prosecutions. As the Human Rights Council debates the renewal of its mandate, rights advocates are urging member states to back its continuation and provide the resources necessary for independent investigations into ongoing grave abuses in Ukraine.
