The return of Ukrainian children who were deported or forcibly transferred by the Russian Federation will be facilitated by including this issue in the peace negotiation process, as well as by increasing pressure on the Russian Federation. This was stated by the Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and Chief Operating Officer of Bring Kids Back UA, Dariia Zarivna, during the United for Justice. United for Survivors conference.
“It is very important that this issue is not lost – because that is exactly what the Russians want. Today, discussions on trust-strengthening measures are taking place everywhere. And one of them must be the unconditional return of Ukrainian children,” she said.
Moreover, there is a need for humanitarian access and complete information regarding all abducted children. After all, data shows that 19,546 Ukrainian minors have been deported by the Russian Federation, although the actual number is much higher. 1.6 million children are living in temporarily occupied territories, where military-patriotic events such as “Zarnitsa 2.0” are being conducted. These events aim to prepare children to serve as drone operators, assault troops, propagandists, and cyber soldiers.
Dariia Zarivna also called on international partners to join the Bring Kids Back UA initiative launched by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which has already helped bring 1,307 children home.
Lady Helena Kennedy LT KC, Director of the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute and Co-Chair of the Bring Kids Back UA Task Force, together with Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak, stated that the crimes committed against Ukrainian children are testing the strength of the international legal order.
“We cannot allow political calculations to dictate the course of international relations in such sensitive matters as this. The international community must emphasize that the deportation of children is a red line,” she said.
Advisor – Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights and Child Rehabilitation Daria Herasymchuk emphasized that the Russian Federation must, for the third time, be listed in the UN’s “list of shame” for crimes against Ukrainian children. Following this, special sanctions should be imposed by the Security Council under the UN Security Council's special mechanism “Children and Armed Conflict.”
Trial lawyer and Head of Unified Team for Ukraine at the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Alexis Demirdjian, in his online address, stressed that following the issuance of arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, the ICC Prosecutor’s Office continues to collect necessary information and evidence – in particular regarding the broader network of individuals involved in these crimes, not only at the federal but also at the regional level in the Russian Federation.
Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Viktoriia Lytvynova noted that the EU, the United States, Canada, and Ukraine have imposed sanctions on 152 individuals involved in the deportation and unlawful transfer of Ukrainian children.
“We call on you not to ease this pressure, but to increase it. We urge all states and institutions to use all available legal mechanisms – both national and international – to ensure justice,” she said.