Overview
- The report confirms at least 1,205 minors taken from five Ukrainian regions to Russian-controlled territory, with about 80% not returned home.
- Investigators conclude the transfers were organized at the highest levels of the state, citing visible involvement by President Vladimir Putin and a central role for the Defense Ministry.
- Authorities granted some children Russian citizenship or placed them in adoption databases, while parents were often not informed of locations or asked for consent.
- Children were moved by bus, train, or plane, and the report identifies children’s commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova as playing a leading role, including escorting groups and visiting foster families.
- The findings, set for presentation to the UN Human Rights Council on March 12, follow a General Assembly resolution urging the return of more than 19,000 displaced children and also classify illegal deportations and delayed repatriations as war crimes.