UN believes Vladimir Putin directly involved in thousands of disappearances from Ukraine
Francis Dearnley. Verity Bowman
Published 12 March 2026 7:58pm GMT
Russia has been accused by a United Nations(UN) body of the “systematic abduction” of Ukrainian children.
Pablo de Greiff, a UN commissioner, said Moscow was complicit in “institutional co-ordination” that saw youngsters taken from occupied areas and transferred to Russia or territories it controlled.
He told the Ukraine: The Latest podcast that the removal of children was “deliberately planned”, adding: “In this particular conflict, international law is being violated in pretty systematic ways.
“There is a great deal of institutional co-ordination in order for these crimes of this magnitude to take place over a very long stretch of time.”
The allegations come days after the UN said for the first time that the transfer of children in the Russia-Ukraine war could amount to a crime against humanity and a war crime.
A report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, co-authored by Mr de Greiff, found that Russian authorities “at the highest level” had deported “thousands” of children from occupied areas of Ukraine.
The report said the transfers formed part of a broader policy in which Ukrainian children were moved from territories under Moscow’s control to Russia or to other areas held by its forces.
Investigators said removals of youngsters had been carried out on a large scale since the early months of the war. It added that the “direct involvement” of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, had been “visible from the outset”.
Ukrainian officials say almost 20,000 children have been transferred to Russia and Belarus, while Daria Herasymchuk, Kyiv’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, has given a range of 200,000 to 300,000.
The UN inquiry has identified 1,205 cases of children taken from Ukrainian territories by Moscow in 2022, but Mr de Greiff agreed that the total number of abductions was much higher.
Investigations concerning deportations and forcible transfers of children by Russian authorities
Departure regions
He said: “Everyone knows this is the tip of the iceberg … No one thinks that it is just 1,025. We know for a fact that there are many more than that.”
According to the UN, 80 per cent of the children have yet to be returned Ukraine, with many parents and guardians still unaware of their whereabouts.
Mr de Greiff said he believed that every level of Russian society – from the military to the judiciary – was complicit in the disappearances.
He said: “We have examined what type of institutional network … is necessary to keep 80 per cent of 1,025 children from returning to Ukraine. This required a legislative action, and they did it. It begins to illustrate the institutional thickness of the web.”
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin in 2023, accusing him and Maria Lvova-Belova, his children’s rights commissioner, of illegal deportation of children. Moscow has consistently denied allegations that it has forcibly removed youngsters from Ukrainian territory.
…….
This is from Sept 6th, 2025 :
We cannot abandon Ukraine’s stolen children
With the right resources, we can provide the dedicated protection and trauma recovery support they need
Published 06 September 2025
The war in Ukraine is dominating our news cycle. But behind the headline grabbing news of diplomatic manoeuvres and Oval Office dress codes, a quiet, cruel story has been neglected.
In Ukraine today, 19,546 children have been confirmed as having been taken from their homes against their will by Russia. The real figure is likely to be tens-of-thousands more. Some were removed from orphanages, others from their homes, schools, or shelters.
Many have been sent to military camps or handed over to families who aren’t their ownin Russia. They have been told their parents don’t want them anymore, told their language is forbidden, and manipulated into forgetting their Ukrainian heritage. This is not for their protection. It is not to ensure their safety. It is the deliberate rewriting of their identities.
There is no doubt – this strategic erasure of Ukrainian children’s identities is a war crimeand the results are devastating. Desperate parents are searching in vain for their sons and daughters, while children are forced to grow up believing they were abandoned. What’s more, with over a million children living in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, the threat to Ukraine’s next generation is immense.
The new report, Return Every Child, from War Child UK, Save Ukraine, and the Human Security Centre, discusses some of the experiences of the very few children who have returned home, children who have either been rescued or managed to escape.
“Every day felt like we were being shaped into something we weren’t. They didn’t treat us like kids. They wanted us to behave like their soldiers.”
That is what one 16-year-old girl from Kherson Region told the psychologists and child welfare staff at War Child’s partner, Save Ukraine, once she was able to flee Russian control. This is not an isolated incident.
More than four in 10 (41 per cent) returned Ukrainian children experienced systematic military propaganda since being under Russia occupation. Almost a third (30 per cent) said they were sent to “camps” where they were forced to undertake military training, where some were made to fire live rounds, assemble and disassemble assault rifles, dig trenches and throw grenades. Some of these children were 13 years old.
These military exercises and camps occur in conjunction with Russian indoctrination techniques. More than half (55 per cent) experienced mandatory lessons promoting “correct” versions of history and bans on speaking their native Ukrainian tongue. One in 10 children described being tortured.
If and when these children are ever able to return home, they will carry with them trauma that will require specialist support.
There is hope here. In my role with War Child over the last 10 years now, I’ve seen that recovery is possible. With the right resources, we can provide the dedicated protection and trauma recovery support that each one of these children will need. But this help can’t be provided if Russia is allowed to keep these children as potential military recruits.
Leaders need to be amplifying the voices of Ukrainian children and their families.
War Child will continue to advocate for Ukraine’s stolen children. They cannot become the forgotten victims of this war and they must be returned. Immediately.
Carey Mulligan is a global ambassador for War Child UK
PutinaZi war crimes :
Every child must be returned.
Every single perpetrator of this disgusting evil must die. However long it takes.
A filthy, stinking kremtroll responds :
Ad Astra
Well is it 20,000, 200,000 or 300,000 all quoted as possible figures. Where are the clamouring, grieving parents or are they all orphans ?
Remember these children were evacuated from a war zone. I seem to remember that Ukraine could only come up with 339 names when requested by Russia.
GRAHAM REEVE
Reply to Ad Astra
You are spreading a widely debunked disinformation narrative. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume it’s not intentional but you are just very gullible. Read up on it. Here you go, I even got an AI to write you a summary:
1️⃣ The key finding of the UN investigation
The deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children has been investigated by the United Nations Human Rights Council Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine.
Their conclusion:
– Russia carried out unlawful deportations and transfers of Ukrainian children from occupied areas.
– Many of the children were taken to Russia or Russian-controlled areas, placed in institutions or foster families, and sometimes given Russian citizenship.
The Commission stated these actions violate international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes.
2️⃣ Why the “they were evacuated” claim is misleading
Evacuating civilians from a war zone is legal only under strict conditions.
Under the Fourth Geneva Convention:
Evacuations must be:
– temporary
– within the occupied territory if possible
– with parents/guardians
– with proper documentation
– followed by return when conditions allow
Investigators found many cases where these rules were not followed, including:
– children transferred deep into Russia
– children separated from parents
– children placed with Russian families
– children subjected to re-education programs
– children not returned when parents requested it
That is why investigators call them deportations, not evacuations.
3️⃣ Evidence parents are searching for their children
The suggestion that no parents are looking for them is simply false.
Multiple organisations have documented thousands of parental searches, including Save Ukraine and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
These groups have helped families locate and return children.
Many parents have had to travel through multiple countries (often via Belarus or the Baltics) to retrieve them. Some children were reunited only after months of searching.
4️⃣ How many children are believed to have been taken
Estimates vary depending on the methodology.
Ukraine’s official register (Children of War database) lists tens of thousands of deported or transferred children. Russian officials themselves acknowledged moving large numbers of children. For example: Maria Lvova‑Belova stated publicly in 2022 that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children had been taken to Russia.
5️⃣ Why the “339 names” claim is misleading
The “339 names” figure usually comes from a specific negotiation list, not the total number of deported children.
It referred to:
– a partial list submitted in a negotiation process
– cases where Ukraine had verified identity and location information
That does not represent the total number of missing children.
Think of it like this: confirmed cases with full documentation vs the broader number of suspected deportations
This distinction is routinely ignored when the claim is repeated.
6️⃣ Independent investigations also confirmed the pattern
Other bodies have documented the same system.
For example: The ICC issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and
Maria Lvova‑Belova specifically for the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children. That level of action by an international court is extremely rare and reflects the weight of the evidence.
7️⃣ Why this talking point appears so often
This argument follows a familiar narrative pattern:
(1) Reframe: “Deportation” → “evacuation”
(2) Minimise numbers: Use a small verified list to imply the whole issue is exaggerated.
(3) Dismiss victims: Suggest parents aren’t complaining.
Each step tries to shift attention away from the legal issue — that transferring children from occupied territory to the occupier’s country is prohibited under international law.
THANK YOU GRAHAM.
Trolls must be challenged.
Margaret Pike
Someone tell Trump.
Oh, no, he thinks Putin is his friend because he flatters his ego.
In any case Trump would not care, sociopaths rarely do after all.
No he, may or may not be slipping into dementia, for that he really has my sympathy, my mother is now far advanced in that. She used to be my last family carer, autism. However, be that as it may, he was ever a sociopath, his father was one as well. I read that his only open regret, was bullying his older brother after his father did, he died an alcoholic. Possibly why Trump never drinks, a good policy if you fear going the same way.
Oh, his father died of Alzheimer’s, by the way.
Deputy Dawg
This can never be forgotten. Russia should be forever pressured to return these children rather than have all their war crimes swept aside and then welcome back as though nothing happened like some in the US are keen to do.
Well DD, that is exactly what the magaputler shitheads are doing. Right now in Florida they are eating lobster and drinking champagne with child murdering nazi bastards.
Michelle Howard
This is a part of destroying Ukrainian culture. Children are the future and that sick Putin has them in his basement.
Allan Hughes
Well that’s taken them long enough. This was clear 3 years ago and at this rate the UN will be rivalling the EU’s speed of response.
M H Jolly
Nazis did the same thing.
Gavin Forester
Odd, but I can’t find details of any protest marches about this or any University campus sit ins or debates?
YES GF. The pali-rimmers don’t care about Ukraine.