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By Anthony Deutsch
THE HAGUE (Reuters) – Russian presidential flights and money were used for a program that took children from occupied territories in Ukraine, removed them from Ukraine and placed them with Russian families, according to a report by Yale’s School of Public Health.
A study sponsored by the US State Department, which was published on Tuesday, identified 314 Ukrainian children who were taken to Russia during the first months of the war in Ukraine as part of what it says is a systematic, Kremlin-backed plan to “assist” them.
Reuters could not independently confirm the report’s findings.
In March 2023, the International Court of Justice issued warrants for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin and its Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, on war crimes charges against Ukrainian children.
At that time, Lvova-Belova said that her organization took action to protect children in the war zone. Lvova-Belova’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Kremlin said it could not respond to questions sent on Monday, citing a lack of time.
The new investigation, first reported by Reuters, details the alleged deportation program and the people involved, including what a senior investigator said are new links to Putin.
Researcher, Nathaniel Raymond (NS:), Executive Director of Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab, said he is expected to present his findings to the UN Security Council on Wednesday. The United States has a rotating presidency of the 15-member organization this month.
Raymond said the investigation provides evidence that could support further ICC charges against Putin of “forcible transfer” of people from one country to another.
He added that the report had confirmed that “the deportation of Ukrainian children is part of a systematic, Kremlin-led plan” to become Russian citizens.
Forced displacement is a crime against humanity under international law. Because they must be widespread and systematic, crimes against humanity are considered more serious than war crimes.
In response to questions from Reuters, the ICC’s office of the chief prosecutor said the Yale report was useful “in our ongoing work on this matter.” It declined to provide details of any charges or actions that may result from its Ukraine investigation.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in response to the report, said in a statement on X: “Ukraine is working hard to ensure that our children return home and that all those responsible for these heinous crimes are punished.”
The country’s attorney general said the Yale report was consistent with its investigation into what happened to the children, describing “a well-planned Kremlin strategy with legislative changes, political decisions, and voluntary funding.”
Responding to the ICC charges last year, Lvova-Belova said Russia had not moved anyone against their will or that of their parents or legal guardians, whose consent is always required unless they are missing.
He said the children were placed in the care of temporary foster carers and were not given up for adoption.
Russia, which does not recognize the ICC, has said the court documents are meaningless. The court rulings could reduce the number of people who have been convicted because 124 member states are responsible for issuing documents.
THE CHILDREN ARE IDENTIFIED
The study was based on data collected from three sources collected by the Russian government over a 20-month period. The Yale study revealed the program’s financial performance and confirmed the identities of 314 children, Raymond said.
The investigation is part of an effort by the State Department under President Joe Biden to document violations of international law and crimes against humanity committed by Russia and Russia in Ukraine.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The report said that the Ukrainian children brought to Russia were subjected to “false and military treatment,” saying that they had written “re-education of patriotism” in all the places where the children were processed.
Reuters has written about the transfer of thousands of children to Russian camps, the forced birth of Ukrainians and the participation of Belarus in the program.
Stephen Rapp, the top US ambassador for war crimes under former President Barack Obama and a former prosecutor for the international crimes of Rwanda and Sierra Leone, reviewed the report and told Reuters that it “affirms their direct involvement, changing the law and trying to allow and expedite adoption.” by force, which would have been illegal under Russian law in February 2022.”
Kyiv estimates that around 19,500 children have been taken to Russia or Crimea since the invasion. Lvova-Belova disputed Kyiv’s numbers and asked for evidence.
Earlier he said 380 orphans and unaccompanied minors were placed in Russian foster families between April and October 2022.
AIRPLANE
Russia began taking Ukrainian children from occupied territories in Ukraine days before the attack in Feb. 2022, according to the report.
The Russian Aerospace Forces and aircraft under the direct control of Putin’s office transported several groups of children from Ukraine on Russian military aircraft between May and October 2022, the report said.
The report stated that two groups of children flew on planes controlled by the Presidential Property Management Department within the Presidential Administration in May and October 2022.
The children who were taken to the Chkalovsky military airport outside Moscow on September 16, 2022 were taken from the occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk to the Russian city of Rostov, which is close to the Ukrainian border, and then flown on a plane. and tail number RA. -85123, the report said.
The plane is a TU-154M operated by the 223rd Flight Squad of the Russian Defense Ministry, it said. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24.com confirmed this.
Of the 314 Ukrainian children identified, 166 were directly placed by Russian citizens, the report said. Another 148 were registered in Russian orphanages, with about a third of them held by Russian citizens. The remaining children were identified as members of Russian organizations, the report said.
