"Gazprom and Rosneft are involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children

Yale University has released a study on the involvement of Russian state-owned companies Gazprom and Rosneft in the deportation and "re-education" of Ukrainian children.

According to the Laboratory for Humanitarian Research, in 2022-2025, at least 2,158 children were taken from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.

The children were transported to six camps in Russia and occupied Crimea, including Prometheus, Signal, Kuban Niva, Art Quest, Sputnik, and the Kazakevich camp.

The study found that three of these camps belonged to Gazprom subsidiaries when the children were there, and two remain in the company's ownership to this day. "Rosneft, through its trade union structures, facilitated the sending of about 100 children in 2023.

Funding was provided through a system of vouchers that allowed children to stay in camps with a pro-Russian ideological influence program for free or at a discount. However, according to the researchers, not all cases had parental consent.

The report also notes that a significant number of companies and structures involved in these processes are still not under US and EU sanctions.

As Intent previously wrote, the UN International Commission of Inquiry concluded that the removal of Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories by Russia is a crime against humanity. In addition, the commission considers the delay in their return to Ukraine a war crime.

As a reminder, two underage girls were returned from the temporarily occupied Crimea to the territory controlled by Ukraine as part of the presidential initiative Bring Kids Back UA. The operation was conducted with the support of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network team.

Last year, in December, the UN adopted a resolution on the return of Ukrainian children by Russia. The international community overwhelmingly supported the document, which condemns the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children and demands their immediate return, an end to forced adoptions and ideological indoctrination.

The resolution was supported by 91 countries, while 12 voted against, including Russia. Despite international efforts, only 1,850 children were returned home at that time.

Андрій Колісніченко