A damning report from Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab has unveiled a Kremlin-backed program responsible for the forced deportation, re-education, and adoption of Ukrainian children, raising serious allegations of war crimes against Russian President Vladimir Putin and his administration.
Systematic Child Abduction
The 20-month investigation identifies 314 Ukrainian children who have been forcibly relocated to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Many were taken from occupied regions such as Donetsk and Luhansk and moved to facilities in Russia. From there, they were placed in re-education camps or adopted by Russian families under fabricated identities.
“This is part of a systematic, Kremlin-led program to make Ukrainian children into citizens of Russia,” said Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab.
The report highlights that Russian military aircraft and assets from Putin’s Presidential Administration were used to transport these children, with satellite imagery confirming key missions. For example, a Tu-154M jet was used in May 2022 to move 31 children from Mariupol and Donetsk to Moscow.
Coerced Citizenship and Propaganda
In many cases, the children were forced to accept Russian citizenship and subjected to “pro-state and militarized propaganda.” According to the report, one re-education camp dedicated an entire week to teaching children about “our Motherland, its heroic past.”
The program also involves a state-run database funded by millions of rubles from Russia’s Presidential Grants Fund. The database profiles children with falsified names and backstories, further complicating efforts to track their true identities.
Putin and Lvova-Belova Implicated
Russian children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, a key figure in the program, has been directly implicated. Lvova-Belova, who adopted one of the relocated Ukrainian children, has defended the actions as “humanitarian.” Both she and Putin are subjects of International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants issued in March 2023 for their roles in these forced deportations.
Former U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes Stephen Rapp stated, “This proves their direct involvement, making changes to law and practice to allow and accelerate coercive adoptions that would have been illegal under Russia’s own law in February 2022.”
Ukraine Demands Accountability
Ukraine estimates that as many as 20,000 children may have been taken by Russia, a number that could rise due to limited oversight in occupied territories. Ukrainian officials are demanding immediate transparency.
“Russia must end its denials of coerced adoption and provide a register of all children it is forcibly detaining,” said Andriy Yermak, Ukraine’s chief of staff. “Ukraine will not rest until our children are returned home and those responsible are held accountable.”
Global Repercussions
This report adds to the growing evidence of systematic abuses by Russian forces in Ukraine. As the ICC and other international bodies intensify their investigations, the fates of thousands of displaced children hang in the balance. The Yale findings cast a harsh light on what appears to be a deliberate Kremlin strategy, further isolating Russia on the global stage.
