In Washington, D.C., the leadership of the bipartisan U.S. Congressional Helsinki Commission issued a statement strongly condemning the intention of the Russian authorities to deport approximately 50,000 Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories to so-called "summer camps" in Russia.
This was reported in a press release of the U.S. Helsinki Commission on the official website of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).
Commission Chairman Senator Roger Wicker, Co-Chairman Congressman Joe Wilson, and Ranking Members Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Steve Cohen called these actions a "grave violation of international law" that could constitute war crimes and genocide.
"We condemn Russia's plan to forcibly transfer more Ukrainian children to so-called 're-education camps' or into Russia itself under the guise of organizing recreation. Ukrainian children in the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine are already being subjected to Russification in schools. Teenagers abducted and taken to Russia are subjected to forced military training and mobilization... Russia must stop these criminal acts - the protection of Ukrainian children living in the occupied territories and the return of those forcibly taken to Russia must be a priority of any peace plan," the statement said.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, at least 20,000 children were illegally taken to Russia until 2023, of whom only 1,236 have been returned. The Russian authorities refuse to provide accurate data on the whereabouts of the children, instead massively changing their names and citizenship to conceal the facts of their abduction.
The Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, Oksana Markarova, thanked the members of the Helsinki Commission for their clear position.
"The protection of Ukrainian children and the return of those who were forcibly taken to Russia is an issue that should be at the center of any peace plan. We are working with our partners to ensure that all children return home. After all, children are our future.
Earlier, the OSCE's Moscow Mechanism also concluded that Russia's actions violated international humanitarian law and, in some cases, amounted to crimes against humanity.
Author: Inna Mikhno