Kateryna Rashevska
Regional
Center for Human Rights
Ukraine
Legal Expert
Ph.D. Fellow
Institute
of International Relations, Taras
Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Ukraine
As of the end of December 2023, according to the National Information Bureau, at least 19,546 Ukrainian children were deported to 57 regions of the Russian Federation. In contrast, Russian senior officials claim that over 730,000 minor citizens of Ukraine have crossed the border towards their State since the onset of the full-scale invasion. The situation concerning the forcible displacement of Ukrainian children remains dynamic and complements the policy of Russification of the civilian population in the occupied territories.
The actions of the Russian Federation, pursuing de facto appropriation of Ukrainian children, have elements of wide scale and systematic violations. These are not sporadic side-effects of the armed conflict but rather a State policy aimed at achieving several goals simultaneously.
In the short term, Russia is interested in using Ukrainian children as a bargaining chip, a means to manipulate Ukraine and compel it to engage in the negotiation. In the medium term, the objective is to plant a delay-action bomb by indoctrinating children under Russian control and stimulating internal conflict in Ukraine through their unsystematic return. On the strategic front, the goal of the Russian Federation is to re-educate Ukrainian children and mold them into Russian patriots, addressing both demographic and geopolitical challenges.
Children as bargaining chips
The repatriation of Ukrainian children deported by Russia is a key element of the Ukrainian Peace Formula and a central objective of the Bring Kids Back UA State plan. As of the end of December 2023, official data indicates that Ukraine returned 387 deported children from Russia. In each case, parents, assisted by competent Ukrainian authorities and non-governmental organizations, encountered a series of obstacles deliberately imposed by the Russian Federation for family reunification, including refusals to recognize Ukrainian documents, coercion for Russian citizenship, genetic tests, and arbitrary detentions. Orphans face further challenges as Russia insists they are now Russian citizens.
Faced with these circumstances, Ukraine is actively seeking a unified legal mechanism for the repatriation of deported children with the support of the international community. Such a mechanism would accelerate the pace of returns and mitigate potential violations of the rights of legal representatives.
Today, the return of children remains almost the only area where an ad hoc negotiation process occurs between Ukraine and Russia through a third party, namely Qatar. Consequently, the Russian Federation is achieving its short-term goal. While some Ukrainian officials view these negotiations as a foundation for potential agreements in other areas, Russia appears to maintain a position of imposing its own conditions. For Ukraine to safeguard children and fulfill its own obligations, it must accede to some conditions.
Source of internal conflict
The return of children abducted by Russia is in the focus of attention of Ukrainian society and the international community. Consequently, the Russian Federation plans to exploit the sensitivity of this topic to incite new riots and anti-government actions.
At the same time, challenges arise after the children’s return, particularly concerning their rehabilitation and reintegration. Those who have been under the influence of Russian propaganda for almost 10 years face the task of integrating into Ukrainian society, ensuring the avoidance of stigmatization by compatriots. On the other hand, there is a risk of spreading the influence of the Russian Federation through these children and their parents, impacting political processes within Ukraine. Currently, the state lacks a well-developed mechanism to respond to the outlined challenges, and the responsibility for rehabilitation and reintegration falls on the shoulders of the non-governmental community.
Special demographic operation
The Institute of Demographic Policy named after D. I. Mendeleev insists that the question of the size of the [Russian] population has transformed into a challenge for the country’s ability to manage the increasing intensity of international economic, political, and military conflicts. In 2021 President Vladimir Putin identified demography as the primary problem facing Russia. In response, new federal programs are being introduced, interdepartmental cooperation is being established, and thematic conferences are being held to address this pressing issue.
One of the factors contributing to the demographic crisis in Russia is the male excessive mortality, influenced, in particular, by significant losses during the full-scale invasion. Furthermore, the birth rate in the Russian Federation has steadily decreased since 2015. According to the UN, if the current demographic conditions persist, the population of Russia is predicted to decrease by approximately 17% in fifty years. The top leadership of the state cannot allow this, as the main national idea is the multiplication of the people of Russia. Therefore, plans for national strengthening involve leveraging deported Ukrainian children, who, through transfer to Russian families, political indoctrination, and militarization, have their Ukrainian identity eradicated, transforming them into Russian patriots. These actions, potentially accompanied by arbitrary changes in personal data the child’s place of detention, exhibit elements of genocide against the Ukrainian nation.
Melting pot
Exploiting the vulnerability of children, Russia eradicates their identity and pursues its own national interests. Ukrainian minors are viewed as a human and economic resource for the Russian Federation, a potential future mobilization reserve. Allowing Ukrainian children to remain under the control of the aggressor State implies permitting it to commit new international crimes with impunity. Time is working against Ukraine. Given the current dynamics, it would take 90 and a half years to return only the identified minors. This underscores the urgency of international cooperation to compel Russia to adhere to the norms of international law and to save Ukrainian children.