At least 11,000 illegally taken Ukrainian children are being held in so-called "re-education camps" in Russia.
Source. This was reported by the British Ministry of Defense intelligence.
According to its data, there are 43 such institutions in Russia. The right to life and liberty of the children placed there is "under threat," the intelligence agency emphasized.
On November 20, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin discussed with British MP Alicia Keynes the creation of an international mechanism to stop the deportation of Ukrainian children and measures to return them home. He emphasized the need to act decisively "for the sake of every child and adult separated from their loved ones and deprived of the right to live in their native land."
According to Ukraine, 19,546 children have been illegally taken to Russia since the beginning of the war, some of whom were subsequently put up for adoption. So far, only 387 children have been returned. In July, Russian Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova said that Russia had "adopted" more than 700,000 Ukrainian children.
It was also reported that since the beginning of the war, about 2,400 children aged six to 17 have been forcibly taken to Belarus. More than 2000 of them were sent to the Dubrava center in the Minsk region, and another 392 children were distributed to 12 other institutions. There they were subjected to "re-education". According to eyewitnesses and the media, in the camps, Ukrainian children are convinced that they are "Russians," forced to learn the Russian national anthem, turned against Ukraine, and even taught how to handle weapons. If they refuse to obey, they are beaten.
International humanitarian law prohibits the transportation of children under the age of 18 across borders without the consent of their parents or guardians.
"The movements of the children were not justified by security or medical reasons," so Russia violated international law, according to the International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, established by the UN Human Rights Council.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin and Lvova-Belova on charges of deporting children. Subsequently, members of the European Parliament called on the ICC to take similar measures against Alexander Lukashenko due to Russia's assistance.