The United States imposed sanctions on 11 Russians and two re-education facilities implicated in the forced transfer of Ukrainian children, citing war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Moscow. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield made this announcement during a U.N. Security Council meeting organized by the U.S. on Ukraine’s national day, shedding light on the transfer or deportation of children as young as four months old to Russia, Belarus, and Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine.
Thomas-Greenfield emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “Children are literally being ripped from their homes in the year 2023.” She revealed that Russia and its proxies have detained children escaping violence, forced them out of schools and orphanages, and deceived parents into sending their children to “summer camps” where they are isolated from communication and prevented from returning home.
Concerns about the deportation of Ukrainian children arose after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The International Criminal Court escalated pressure on Russia by issuing arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Russian children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of abducting children from Ukraine. While estimates vary, Thomas-Greenfield stated that the U.S. has confirmed thousands of children taken from Ukraine since February 2022.
It was further revealed that Belarus leaders have supported the relocation of Ukrainian children to camps in their country. The National Anti-Crisis Management Group reported that at least 2,100 Ukrainian children were transferred from Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine to Belarus between September 2022 and May 2023.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.N., Sergiy Kyslytsya, likened Russia’s actions against children to the crimes committed by the Nazis during World War II. He expressed concerns about aggressive brainwashing aimed at erasing Ukrainian identity and preparing obedient soldiers for the Russian army.
In response to these issues, the U.S. announced sanctions targeting individuals involved in facilitating the forced transfer and deportation of children, as well as visa restrictions on three Russians allegedly involved in human rights abuses against Ukrainian minors. The U.S. State Department released a list of individuals subject to asset freezes, including commissioners for children’s rights in Belgorod, Kaluga, and Rostov, as well as officials in the Chechen Republic. The U.S. also imposed sanctions on the Russian-owned “summer camp” called Artek in Russian-occupied Crimea and the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation, which oversees the re-education of Ukrainian children in camps outside Grozny in the Chechen Republic.
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the U.S., backed by Britain and the European Union, of launching a proxy war against Russia to gain experience in armed hostilities. He denied the allegations of child abductions, stating that Russia is actually saving Ukrainian children.
Several nations in the council, including China, did not address the issue of deported children, focusing instead on ending the conflict and restoring Ukraine’s ability to export grain. France’s deputy U.N. ambassador expressed concern over Russia’s violation of children’s rights and urged Russia to respect international law and end these atrocities. Britain’s deputy ambassador emphasized the devastating and long-lasting consequences of forced transfers and deportations of children.
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