Forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to russian federation as a form of crime of genocide

In the context of russia's full-scale invasion into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and to this day, issues related to war crimes against Ukrainians and particularly against  Ukrainian children require urgent attention  not only from the Ukrainian authorities but from  the whole international community. In particular, it refers to such unlawful acts as the recruitment and use of children in hostilities, abduction, murder, maiming, sexual violence, and militarization of children in the territories occupied by the aggressor.

According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, as of February 23, 2024, 126,037 crimes of aggression and war crimes were registered (violation of the laws and customs of war (Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (hereinafter – the CCU); planning, preparation or waging of an aggressive war (Article 437 of the CCU); propaganda of war (Article 436 of the CCU), etc. Statistics on crimes against children is maintained separately. According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, 528 children were killed during this period, with 1,230 injured. According to other official information sources, between February 24, 2023 and February 15, 2024, 2,185 children were reported missing; 2,3014.  

But, of course, the most attention now is paid to the ongoing process of mass “kidnapping” of Ukrainian children from the occupied territories to russia. Since February, 24, 2024 different international institutions, among which are the Counsel of Europe, the EU have arose the problem of numerous facts of unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to the territory of Russia.    

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