Russia's children's rights commissioner has reported over 700,000 Ukrainian children were deported to Russia last year, prompting charges of genocide from Ukraine's ombudsman.
Maria Lvova-Belova stated Russia "evacuated" some 4.8 million citizens from Ukraine in 2022, including more than 700,000 Ukrainian minors.
Ukraine's parliamentary commissioner for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets, responded the mass deportations are proof of Russia's crimes for international courts.
"Under the guise of 'good deeds,' evacuation or recreation, Russia takes Ukrainian children into Russian Federation territory," Lubinets wrote.
He said Russia makes orphans of children and then abducts them, violating international humanitarian law. "This is a flagrant violation of children's rights who become hostages," he added.
Lubinets argued the policy represents genocide against Ukraine, and he called on a UN official to demand Russia provide lists of deported Ukrainian children.
In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Lvova-Belova for overseeing the illegal transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Related:
- Russians reportedly deported about 700,000 Ukrainian children since 2014 – Russia’s parliament member
- OSCE’s report confirms large-scale deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia
- Not only Putin and Lvova-Belova: all Russians deporting Ukrainians must be prosecuted
- PACE recognizes forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia as genocide
