Russia is trying to force Ukrainian children to become Russian, with reeducation, forcible transfers and camps
Ukraine says more than 20,000 children may have been deported, while Yale researchers estimate the number is closer to 35,000.
- The Independent International Commission reported that Russian authorities have deported thousands of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation or occupied areas, describing the actions as "deportation and forcible transfer" of Ukrainian children and their "enforced disappearance."
- Since occupying Crimea and parts of Donbas in 2014, Russia has steadily reshaped children's education and legal status to erase Ukrainian identity, portraying Ukrainians and Russians as "one people."
- Bring Kids Back lists over 20,000 possible cases of forcible transfer, while Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab estimates 35,000; the International Criminal Court issued 2023 arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova over alleged unlawful deportations.
- In March 2026, the State Department announced a $25 million effort to identify, return, and rehabilitate Ukrainian children forcibly transferred by Russia, supporting a race against time for recovery services.
- Approximately 1.6 million Ukrainian children remain under Russian-controlled territory, where their schools and daily lives are reorganized around Russian rule, making changed names and forced assimilation increasingly difficult to reverse.
34 Articles
34 Articles
How Russia Is Trying to Force Ukrainian Children to Become Russian
Republished with permission from The Conversation, by Thom Reilly, Arizona State University “Crimes against humanity.” That’s what an investigation in March 2026 called Russia’s “deportation and forcible transfer” of Ukrainian children and “their enforced disappearance.” The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine wrote that “thousands of children have been deported to the Russian Federation or transferred to occupied areas in…
The Conversation
Russia is trying to force Ukrainian children to become Russian, with reeducation, forcible transfers and camps
A fence featuring 20,000 stuffed teddy bears, each representing a Ukrainian child abducted by Russia, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on April 23, 2026. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images“Crimes against humanity.” That’s what an investigation in March 2026 called Russia’s “deportation and forcible transfer” of Ukrainian children and “their enforced disappearance.” The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine wrote that “t…
The Russians are getting tougher: they are blatantly interfering in the German elections while raising Ukrainian children in occupied Ukrainian territories to be Russian. There are protests around the world against Meta's new glasses, and Western firefighters are learning deforestation tactics from Australian aborigines. This week, The Lookout also shows how Europe's largest rivers are increasingly drying up.
Russia is making an attempt to power Ukrainian youngsters to turn out to be Russian, with reeducation, forcible transfers and camps
“Crimes against humanity.” That’s what an investigation in March 2026 known as Russia’s “deportation and forcible transfer” of Ukrainian youngsters and “their enforced disappearance.” The Unbiased Global Fee of Inquiry on Ukraine wrote that “thousands of children have been deported to the Russian Federation or transferred to occupied areas in Ukraine by Russian authorities.” In accordance with the Russian movements, the U.S. State Division intro…
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