The European Court of Human Rights has issued a historic ruling: Russia has been found guilty of a systematic practice of abduction, forcible transfer, and indoctrination of Ukrainian children.
The Court concluded that:
- The Court confirmed there were no legal grounds for removing the children and ruled that they must all be returned.
- These transfers violate multiple articles of the European Convention on Human Rights, including the prohibition of inhuman treatment, the right to liberty and security, and the right to family life, and are aimed at erasing children’s Ukrainian identity.
- Children were separated from their families, subjected to indoctrination, and put up for adoption under a Russian citizenship scheme.
- Russia failed to ensure reunification or even basic contact with the families.
- The practice was not accidental but a coordinated state policy, tolerated and facilitated by top Russian authorities.
This is the first time an international court has formally recognized the mass deportation of Ukrainian children as a state-administered, unlawful practice. It is a key step toward global justice and accountability.
Russia must return all children immediately and cooperate with the establishment of an independent international mechanism to bring them back.