UN says Russia's transfer of Ukrainian children is a crime against humanity
Mar 10th 2026
A UN inquiry says Russian authorities forcibly moved thousands of Ukrainian children from occupied regions, calling the transfers crimes against humanity and war crimes and noting many children remain unreturned.
- UN commission identified 1,205 child transfers in 2022 and says thousands were deported overall.
- About 80% of the identified children have not been returned and many parents do not know their whereabouts.
- Ukraine estimates almost 20,000 children were sent to Russia and Belarus and says it has recovered about 2,000 so far.
- Many children were placed in Russian families or institutions, given Russian citizenship, and faced coercive re-education.
- The UN concluded these actions amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes and said Vladimir Putin's involvement was visible.
- The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova over the unlawful deportations.