El Pais – Non-profit groups hand ICC information on 20,000 Ukrainian children abducted by Russia
20-06-2024 Ukraine has documented the abduction of nearly 20,000 minors to Russia since the start of the military invasion in February 2022. The search involves an added complication for the Ukrainian authorities. This group of forcefully displaced children is stripped of its identity. Time is working against their return and reintegration into the society from which they were forcibly taken. As they lack documents and live under different names, DNA testing will be essential for these children to be reunited with their families.
Russian authorities have even boasted about a “de-Ukrainization” process. “Once in Russia, abducted children are not only indoctrinated or militarized. The destruction of their personal data makes it difficult for them to be found on Russian soil. It is also difficult in Belarus, and Ossetia. Moreover, it is challenging in occupied areas of Ukraine, which is where they can be taken.”
Mariam Lambert, director of the Netherlands-based Emile Foundation, which focuses on repatriating Ukrainian minors unlawfully transferred to Russia, contradicts the Kremlin’s official discourse. In her opinion, the abductions “were prepared before the invasion.” “The lists we have sent to the European Union include Russian lawyers, doctors, nurses, teachers, and policemen who are involved. This is not an isolated incident.”