DISINFO: Evacuation of children from Ukraine is in compliance with humanitarian law
SUMMARY
The evacuation of children from the combat zone in Ukraine proceeds in full compliance with international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Western leaders’ use of the term ‘adoption’ in this context is deliberately misleading. Russia is only providing temporary preliminary guardianship or temporary guardianship. The main goal is for children to be in families, not orphanages.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative denying war crimes committed by the Russian armed forces and the Russian federal administration in Ukraine. This claim was made in the context of 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 02 March, ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan decided to seek authorisation to open an investigation into the situation in Ukraine. It includes within its scope any past and present allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide committed on any part of the territory of Ukraine by any person. On 17 March 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for two individuals in the context of the situation in Ukraine: Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova.
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said in March 2023 that it is a war crime: "There is one topic that is particularly important to me - the topic of abducted Ukrainian children. This is a terrible reminder of the darkest times in our history. Deporting children is a war crime. We know today of at least 16,200 children who were deported, and only 300 have returned so far. ”UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grande said in an interview with Reuters in January 2023 that Russia was violating the "fundamental principles of child protection" in wartime by giving Ukrainian children Russian passports and putting them up for adoption.
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