Weltschau

In the modern war in Ukraine, which Russia began in 2014, one of the most horrific aspects is the forced removal, deportation, and “re-education” of Ukrainian children. This is not just a humanitarian tragedy but a war crime.

 According to the Ukrainska Pravda media outlet, during 2025, Russia forcibly transported almost 11,000 Ukrainian children to 164 camps located in the territory of the Russian Federation and in occupied Crimea. This figure already exceeds the total number of children “re-educated” in the previous two years. Researchers indicate that the camps have clear coordination from the Russian government and direct support from the highest levels of power.

Russia officially does not admit guilt in the abduction of the children and rejects the accusations. In particular, Russian figure Medinsky, during negotiations in Istanbul, appealed to Ukraine: “Don’t put on a show for European grandmothers,” in response to the proposal to return the children.

“Children’s Catalog”: A Russian Tool for Digital Trade in Ukrainian Children

Russia does not shy away from any methods of “re-education” of Ukrainian children, so it is actively looking for guardians who could help with this. At the same time, for the comfortable illegal adoption of a kidnapped child, the Russians created catalogs with photos and descriptions of children from the temporarily occupied territories, where any Russian can choose a child based on appearance, eye color, hair, and temperament (for example, “obedient” or “calm”). Such conduct is a matter of considerable concern: such practices resemble digital advertising of children and call into question the possibility of identification and, in general, their protection.

Russian child abduction scenarios

The policy of kidnapping, deportation, and “re-education” of children is not just a random violation of human rights. It is a planned state mechanism that pursues the goal of Russification, the destruction of Ukrainian culture and language, and the breakdown of families and social ties—using force, deception, or intimidation.

The Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children’s Rights and Children’s Rehabilitation, Darya Gerasymchuk, emphasized that the Russians use the following scenarios to abduct Ukrainian children:

First they kill the parents, and then they take the children to their territory;

They take the children directly from the biological family;

Separate children from their families during so-called filtration measures;

create conditions in the occupied territories that are unsuitable for a child’s life, and then supposedly voluntarily offer parents to give their children away for so-called health improvement or rest, from which they are not returned home.

It is worth recalling that the Commissioner for Children’s Rights in Russia is Maria Lvova-Belova, for whom arrest warrants were issued together with Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 17, 2023. The International Criminal Court accuses the aforementioned individuals of war crimes, in particular, the abduction of Ukrainian children.

Kristina Chorba is currently a 2nd-year master’s student majoring in journalism. She is passionate about historical books. In her journalism, she raises social issues: children’s rights, domestic violence, and others.