Russian Officials Face Court Over Illegal Deportation of Ukrainian Kids

Prosecutors from the Prosecutor General's Office have brought a case against two Russian citizens suspected of illegally deporting Ukrainian children to court. The defendants are a member of the State Duma, a confidant of the leader of the Fair Russia party, and the wife of this politician.

According to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, the investigation found that in August 2022, they visited the occupied Kherson to personally select children for deportation. They examined the children of an illegally established children's institution and organized the deportation of two children - an 11-month-old girl and a boy who had not yet turned two.

Under the pretext of a medical examination, the children were taken to Moscow. In fact, their health condition did not require treatment. Later, the girl was illegally adopted by the family of a Russian politician, who changed her personal data. The boy was handed over to the guardianship authorities due to alleged psychological problems - his whereabouts are currently unknown.

Ukrainian prosecutors emphasize that the forced deportation, granting of citizenship and transfer of Ukrainian children to Russian families is a gross violation of international law.

Earlier, Intent wrote that there are about 1.5 million children in the temporarily occupied territories, all of whom are under the threat of deportation.

Also, the lawyer of the Regional Center for Human Rights <b>Kateryna Rashevska</b> said that the re-education of Ukrainian teenagers and youth is very well integrated into the policy of the Russian Federation, and it is carried out by bodies of different levels - federal, regional, occupation and even Ukrainian collaborators:

"This is a set of measures aimed at militarizing and politically indoctrinating Ukrainian children through both formal and non-formal education. Both in the occupied territory and in the territory of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus."

Recently, a program for the return and reintegration of children abducted by Russia, including orphans, was presented in Kherson. This program is being implemented as part of the presidential initiative Bring Kids Back UA.

Андрій Колісніченко