In Washington, D.C., on March 25, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. House of Representatives will hold an official hearing titled “Ukraine: Stolen Children and Accountability Mechanisms.” The event will begin at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time at the Rayburn House Office Building and will be open to members of Congress, staff, the public, and media.
This was reported by American Coalition for Ukraine.
The hearing will take place amid russia’s ongoing full-scale war against Ukraine, now entering its fifth year. According to the United Nations, at least 15,000 civilians have been killed, more than 41,000 injured, and millions displaced.
Particular attention during the hearing will be given to one of the gravest crimes — the forced deportation of Ukrainian children. According to Ukrainian government data, around 20,000 children have been forcibly taken from Ukraine, with 19,915 cases documented. Many are placed in russian institutions, where they are subjected to ideological indoctrination and militarization. As of now, only 2,048 children have been returned.
These actions led to arrest warrants issued in 2023 by the International Criminal Court against russian President vladimir putin and russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova.
The hearing will examine ongoing efforts to return deported children and international mechanisms to hold russia accountable. Topics will include proceedings at the International Court of Justice, the work of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, and the Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine established in June 2025.
The session will be co-chaired by Congressmen James P. McGovern and Chris Smith.
Confirmed witnesses include:
- David M. Crane, founding chief prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone and founder of Global Accountability Network
- David Scheffer, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues
- Inna Linova, Director of the Human Rights Center of the Ukrainian Bar Association
It is also expected that Katya Pavlevich, policy advisor for Razom for Ukraine / American Coalition for Ukraine, will participate. She will present the coalition’s position and its work with the U.S. Congress on addressing the issue of abducted children and ensuring accountability for war crimes.
According to the coalition, the abduction of Ukrainian children is one of russia’s most egregious crimes.
“Among all of russia’s crimes, the abduction and indoctrination of Ukrainian children is perhaps the most abhorrent. Older children are sent to re-education camps, while younger ones are adopted by russian families or placed in institutions as their relatives desperately search for them — all to increase russia’s population for future aggression,” said policy director Yevhen Honcharov.
Organizers stress that the hearing aims not only to raise awareness about the scale of the crime, but also to strengthen international efforts to return Ukrainian children and ensure justice.
Photo: VM collage
Author: Danylo Pievchev