DISINFO: Donbas children not deported to Russia but saved from bombing
SUMMARY
Donbas children were not deported to Russia. The International Criminal Court remained silent in the face of the murders of children in the Donbas by the Ukrainians for eight years, while only Russia helped them. The children were saved from the bombing after their parents were killed by Ukrainian bombs.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives denying war crimes committed by the Russian armed forces and the Russian federal administration and about ethnic cleansing presented as justification for the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which started on 24 February 2022.
The abduction and forced transportation of Ukrainian children to Russia has been documented by the UN, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Ukraine has already reported the actions of Russia's children’s ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
On 17 March 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for two individuals in the context of the situation in Ukraine: Vladimir Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova.
The court alleges Vladimir Putin is responsible for war crimes, and has focused its claims on the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.
It says the crimes were committed in Ukraine from 24 February 2022 - when Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
In a statement, the ICC said it had reasonable grounds to believe Putin committed the criminal acts directly, as well as working with others. It also accused him of failing to use his presidential powers to stop children being deported.
There is no evidence that either ethnic Russians or Russian speakers are facing persecution at the hands of the Ukrainian authorities, much less the danger of annihilation on grounds of nationality, ethnicity, or cultural belonging. This has been confirmed by reports issued by the Council of Europe, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the OSCE.
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