TLHRC Hearing: New Evidence of Russia’s State-Owned Companies’ Involvement in the Abduction of Ukrainian Children Highlights the Need for Accountability

Congressman James McGovern of Massachusetts and Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey, Co-Chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, hosted a formal hearing on the abduction of Ukrainian children and ongoing accountability efforts related to the Russia-Ukraine war.

This was reported by American Coalition for Ukraine.

Rep. Jim McGovern, who co-hosted the hearing, stressed the need for broader congressional engagement and follow-up action, calling on multiple committees to take up the issue and ensure accountability.

“Not everybody is following every single activity that happens in Ukraine or every atrocity in this war. We need other committees to be doing hearings. We need to call administration officials up here and demand answers. We need to figure out ways to make sure that human rights is part of any negotiation to end this war.

We have a lot that we need to discuss, but I can assure you that there’s going to be significant follow-up. I would like the Foreign Affairs Committee to do hearings. I think Energy and Commerce could do hearings because they do a lot of work involving energy. Maybe there’s an Armed Services component to this. But this is a big enough deal that multiple committees need to look at this.

Our Intelligence Committee needs to look at this as well. All of us, whether we’re in committees of jurisdiction or not, need to use our voices and our positions here to amplify what we heard today.”

“We just need to do more. Putin is a war criminal with very few equals, ever. This war of aggression — totally unprovoked — it needs to end, and it needs to end as quickly as possible. Those kids have to get back to their families,” stressed Rep. Chris Smith, co-chair of the TLHRC.

At least two of Russia’s main oil and gas companies, Gazprom and Rosneft, are underwriting and facilitating the transportation and re-education of approximately 2,158 children from Ukraine between 2022-2025, according to a new report from the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale School of Public Health (HRL at YSPH).

HRL researchers found that 80% of the entities involved in the transfer and indoctrination of Ukraine’s children to Russia and Russia-occupied Crimea identified in this report have not been sanctioned by the United States or Europe.

“At least 400,000 Ukrainian children have been enrolled into Russia’s paramilitary organizations. Putin is not preparing for peace — he’s preparing for war, and our policies have to reflect that,” explained Katya Pavlevych, Policy Advisor at Razom and the American Coalition for Ukraine who testified at the hearing. 

“Russia’s abduction of children is a state-run operation financed by the federal budget. That budget is fueled by the oil industry. [...] American taxpayers are now involved in the business of enabling the Russian war machine, and this cannot continue.”

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children are estimated to have been abducted by Russia, with over 19 915 officially confirmed cases, while another 1.6 million Ukrainian children remain under Russian occupation, and are also subject to abuse, re-education, indoctrination, and militarization.

These children are subject to indoctrination, are stripped of their national identity, and, in some cases, undergo physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. Along with Russia’s targeted attacks on civilian infrastructure and widespread killings, torture, and rape of Ukrainian civilians, it is a core part of what Amb. David Scheffer (Former US War Crimes Ambassador, U.S. Department of State), one of the witnesses in the hearing, defined it as “a direct, targeted assault on a civilian population” of Ukraine.

Russia’s militarization of Ukrainian children is not just a human rights violation, but a national security threat to all NATO countries, including the US. These crimes expose the Kremlin’s intent to use Ukraine’s population to replenish Russia’s troops and enable its next invasion. Above all, Russia’s treatment of Ukrainian children is the most stark reminder of its utter contempt for moral values, international laws, and the value of human life.

“Russian oil and gas were, are, and will be the tool of influence of the Kremlin. The war in Ukraine will not end until sanctions are imposed. Imposing sanctions and confiscating Russian sovereign assets are necessary measures,” underscored Inna Liniova, Director Human Rights Center, Ukraine Bar Association, who also testified at the hearing.