Ukraine said more than 20,570 children were unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred to Russia, while just over 2,100 have been brought back, as western allies announced new sanctions on entities linked to the removals. [1, 2]
The Guardian said the figures were shown on an art installation at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels on Monday, where delegates from 63 countries and international organisations were present. [1] The report said EU foreign ministers agreed 23 listings and Britain confirmed 29, with asset freezes and travel bans among the measures. [1]
DW said a UN Human Rights Council commission of inquiry found in March that Russia had systematically deported and forcibly transferred Ukrainian children, and that delays in repatriation amount to a separate war crime. [2] The broadcaster said Maksym Maksymov of Ukraine’s presidential children’s rights office said, "And those are just the cases we have more or less sufficient data on," as officials continue to track missing children. [2]
DW also said Russia told the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child that 46,000 Ukrainian children had received Russian passports in 2023, and that Russian authorities separately told Ukrainian officials they had "received" 744,000 children that year. [2] Those figures were not independently verified in the report. [2]
Isaac Yeung, quoted by The Guardian, said the installation was meant to show how a child's room can be turned into a war zone, adding, "It’s essentially a way for someone to step into Ukraine without having to actually travel there." [1] Leung, also quoted in the report, said, "It creates a tension in your head, in your chest." [1]
Ukraine and its allies are expected to keep pressing for more returns and more sanctions, while officials continue case-by-case repatriation efforts. [1, 2]
