The Stolen Children of Ukraine: A War Crime Unfolding
International law mandates the protection of children during armed conflicts, safeguarding their inherent right to life and prohibiting their forced relocation to enemy territories. However, since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, evidence suggests a systematic violation of these fundamental principles. Ukrainian children have been treated as prisoners of war and pawns in President Vladimir Putin’s ambition to reconstruct a Russian empire.
The Ukrainian government has verified the abduction of approximately 20,000 children by Russian forces. The true number of affected children is likely significantly higher, potentially reaching six figures. Access to information from occupied regions remains challenging, and Russian authorities have consistently obstructed efforts to gather accurate data.
These children have been forcibly removed from their families and communities, subjected to indoctrination, and exposed to military training. Some have reported being pressured to take up arms against their own nation. Rostyslav, a teenager abducted at 16, endured solitary confinement for refusing to sing the Russian national anthem. He eventually escaped, with the assistance of Save Ukraine, an organization that has rescued over 600 children. His story is chronicled in the documentary "A Faith Under Siege."
The suffering is not limited to adolescents. Younger children are also victims, torn from their families, with some orphaned by the violence perpetrated by Russian forces. Reports indicate that at least seven children, five boys and two girls, have been summarily executed in Russian-occupied territory, denied even the pretense of a trial before their deaths, according to a United Nations report.
As early as February 2023, thousands of Ukrainian children were transported to 43 re-education camps across Russia, including remote locations in Siberia and near the Pacific Ocean, thousands of miles from the Ukrainian border. These camps serve as centers for forced assimilation. Children are compelled to attend Russian schools, where they are prohibited from speaking Ukrainian and subjected to revised textbooks designed to foster love for Russia and hatred for Ukraine and the West.
The Kremlin’s efforts extend beyond indoctrination in schools. Ukrainian orphans are coerced into accepting Russian citizenship through the forced acquisition of Russian passports. This act creates a legal barrier to their return to Ukraine, even to their extended families, as such returns would be construed as violations of Russian laws against international "adoptions."
These actions are reminiscent of Nazi Germany’s attempt to transform approximately 200,000 Polish children into Aryans during World War II, a practice universally condemned as a war crime.
In 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of war crimes based on the abductions. Lvova-Belova has claimed that the children’s departures from Ukraine were voluntary, motivated by the war, and that Russia has only acted for humanitarian reasons by providing care for orphans and abandoned children. However, these claims are contradicted by overwhelming evidence.
Russia is not a party to the ICC, so neither Putin nor Lvova-Belova are likely to face immediate arrest.
The conflict in Ukraine extends beyond territorial disputes. The Russians are targeting any religion that is not controlled by the Kremlin. Numerous churches have been damaged or destroyed, and religious leaders have been killed. Even expressing evangelical faith or praying in public can lead to torture.
Viktor Chernaiivsky, who was captured while evacuating people from Luhansk, Donbas and Crimea in 2014, was subjected to torture for praying with other prisoners. The persecution of evangelical Christians, stems from the independent nature of their faith, unwilling to submit to government control.
Reports indicate that Russians have desecrated churches by removing crosses and replacing them with Russian flags, effectively closing these places of worship to congregations.
The documentary "A Faith Under Siege" showcases the devastation faced by Ukrainian families, including fathers who have lost wives and children. Despite the immense suffering, it also presents examples of the resilience of the Ukrainian people. After Russian rockets destroyed a church, the community rallied to clear the rubble and begin the process of rebuilding.
The plight of the abducted children remains a central concern. Their return to their families is essential for any lasting peace agreement.
If Putin desires peace, the release of the abducted children would be a concrete step towards reconciliation. Until the Ukrainian children are returned, the atrocities will continue.
