The US Department of State has announced visa restrictions against five Russian officials for their involvement in the forced deportation, transfer, and detention of Ukrainian children, according to an official statement released on 4 December 2024.
According to the Department of State, many of these children have had their identities altered and origins concealed, while being subjected to pro-Russian indoctrination and militarization. Some have been adopted by Russian families.
“Kremlin authorities have created a multitude of obstacles preventing the return of these children to Ukraine,” the Department stated. “Russia’s continued contempt for its international legal obligations to report the locations of these children makes securing their safe return nearly impossible.”
The Department of State emphasized that Russia’s Deportation of Ukrainian children has been “systematic” and “deliberate,” beginning even before the full-scale invasion, on territories occupied since 2014. The department noted that thousands of Ukrainian children have been unlawfully transferred since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The visa restrictions were implemented under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which authorizes the Secretary of State to restrict visas for Russian military officials and Russia-backed or Russia-installed officials believed to be involved in human rights abuses in Ukraine.
This action follows a report by Yale University researchers who characterized the Russian adoption of deported Ukrainian children as a “component of genocide,” as reported by the VoA.
Additionally, the human rights organization Freedom House has implicated Belarus in the forced transfer and deportation of children from Ukraine, arguing that both Belarusian and Russian authorities should be held accountable for these crimes.
The United States has pledged to continue pursuing all available tools to assist Ukraine in locating and returning unlawfully transferred children while promoting accountability for those responsible for these human rights violations.
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