67 Ukrainian children became Russian citizens: how Russian system of deportations works

Russia established a comprehensive procedure for deporting and integrating Ukrainian children into its governmental apparatus in February 2022. To date, at least 314 children have been identified under this deportation programme. Source: results of a study by the Yale School of Public Health

Details: As of right now, 42 of the 148 deported Ukrainian children recommended for adoption in Russian databases are either legally adopted or in the custody of Russian nationals.

166 more children were sent to Russian households without being recorded in official databases.

The Yale Humanitarian Research Lab reports claims that children are frequently placed in temporary facilities for months before being sent to special institutions where they "undergo re-education". These establishments can be found throughout Russia, particularly in Rostov and Kursk oblasts. Children there are educated in accordance with pro-Russian curricula in an effort to eradicate their Ukrainian heritage.

Children are flown to Russia using military aircraft controlled by the presidential administration. They are then naturalised as Russian citizens, and Russian guardians have the legal ability to legally relinquish the child's Ukrainian citizenship. To date, at least 67 Ukrainian children have become Russian citizens, while the actual number is likely much higher.

All of the children referenced in the study were from Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, with the latter accounting for 80.4% of the children. At the same time, Russian databases conceal their origins by presenting them as Russian nationals.

Approximately half of the children in the programme have siblings who are also included in the databases. However, there have been incidences of family separation.

For example, three siblings were placed with a Russian family, but their oldest brother stayed at the facility for possible adoption. These efforts are obviously coordinated: the programme is led by Vladimir Putin and Russian Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, who has "adopted" one of the deported children. Officials and organisations affiliated with the Russian-imposed government in Donbas, as well as the United Russia party, are all involved in the process.

Background: The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova.

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