UKRAINE: Stolen Children Taken By Russia
The world feels like it is sliding deeper into chaos. From debates at Davos over Greenland to unfolding events in Minnesota, global attention is scattered, and Ukraine is no longer at the center of focus. This is deeply troubling, because Ukraine continues to suffer under the relentless threat of Russia’s war. Russian attacks on energy infrastructure leave millions without electricity, heating, or running water, forcing civilians to endure cold, hunger, and uncertainty. A severe humanitarian crisis is still unfolding, even if much of the world has stopped paying attention.
This week, however, I do not want to focus on the broader battlefield or infrastructure destruction, but on Ukraine’s children. Children suffer every day in war-torn conditions, growing up under the constant threat of bombing and death, deprived of anything resembling a normal childhood. Yet even these children are far more fortunate than those living in occupied territories. The fate of children taken from these regions is far darker, and that is what I want to discuss today.
There is no single, definitive estimate of how many Ukrainian children have been taken by Russia since the start of the war. Ukrainian authorities have documented around 19,500 children who were taken from occupied territories and transferred to Russia or Russian-controlled areas, but this figure reflects only cases that could be individually verified. Of those children, roughly 1,800 to 1,900 have been returned to Ukraine so far through humanitarian efforts and mediation. Independent researchers caution that the real number may be higher, with some estimates suggesting up to 35,000 children, though these higher figures remain estimates rather than confirmed counts.
What is clear is that these children were taken from occupied Ukrainian territories and moved without the consent of Ukraine or, in many cases, their families. Reports from Ukrainian authorities, journalists, and independent researchers indicate that children have been placed in institutions often described as re-education or indoctrination programs, or transferred into foster care and adoption systems inside Russia. Access to these locations is tightly restricted, making independent verification difficult, but available evidence suggests the transfers were organized and systematic rather than spontaneous evacuations.
FORCED TO BE RUSSIAN, FORCED TO FORGET UKRAINE
According to documented testimonies, satellite evidence, and investigations by international organizations, many Ukrainian children taken from occupied territories are subjected to systematic forced Russification. This process often begins with the removal of their Ukrainian identity: children are given Russian names and passports, Ukrainian language use is restricted or outright banned, and they are placed in schools or institutions where they are taught Russian state narratives about history, identity, and the war. Ukraine is portrayed as illegitimate or hostile, while loyalty to Russia is actively cultivated. In many cases—especially adoptions—any trace of the child’s Ukrainian background is deliberately erased or denied.
Human-rights organizations and international legal experts have repeatedly warned that these practices constitute grave violations of international law, including the Geneva Conventions and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The forced transfer, re-education, and assimilation of children from one national group into another has been described as a potential war crime and, by some experts, an act of cultural erasure aimed at permanently severing these children from their homeland.
Many of these children are falsely classified as orphans, despite having living parents or close relatives who are willing and able to care for them. The children taken range widely in age, from infants and toddlers to teenagers. One of the most disturbing aspects of this policy is what happens to older teens: those who turn 18 while under Russian control may become subject to Russian laws, including mandatory military service. This creates the horrifying possibility that Ukrainian teenagers, taken from their families and stripped of their identity, could be forced to fight against their own country.
WHAT IS DONE TO SAVE THE CHILDREN?
Ukraine, along with various international organizations, is desperately trying to bring these children home and to document who is missing. However, the task is extraordinarily difficult. In many cases, there are no reliable records identifying which children were taken. Even if a list were provided by Russian authorities, the identities and current locations of these children would still need to be independently verified. On top of this, some children were abducted as babies or toddlers, meaning they may no longer remember who they are or where they come from.
We also have to acknowledge that many of these children are deeply traumatized and will require specialized care and long-term support. Reintegrating them into Ukrainian society will not be simple. Any organization involved in their return must understand the psychological, emotional, and cultural challenges these children face in order to give them the best possible chance at recovery and a successful transition home.
Many families, upon learning that their children were abducted, attempt to find them in Russia themselves. They travel into enemy territory to retrieve their kids, putting their entire families at serious risk. It is an incredibly dangerous journey—but one they are willing to make for the chance to be reunited. Sometimes it works. Sometimes, tragically, it does not.
Both the European Union and the United Nations are working to ensure that all abducted children are returned to Ukraine. Melania Trump, the First Lady of the United States, also took a particular interest in this issue. Whatever criticisms exist, any attention that helps bring these children home is welcome. She notably wrote a letter addressing the issue directly to the terrorist dictator Vladimir Putin. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has likewise stated that this issue is close to her heart.
Ultimately, however, responsibility lies with Russia to account for these children and return them. Any potential peace deal includes this requirement. And as we already know, Russia cannot be trusted to honor even the most basic obligations.
CONCLUSION
The abduction and forced assimilation of Ukrainian children is not a tragic byproduct of war—it is a deliberate policy. By stripping children of their language, identity, family, and future, Russia is attempting to erase a generation of Ukrainians. These children are not lost; they are being held, reshaped, and in some cases weaponized against their own country. Bringing them home is not only a humanitarian obligation but a legal and moral imperative.
Until every child is accounted for and returned, there can be no justice, no accountability, and no genuine peace!
References
- Yale School of Public Health: Ukraine's Stolen Children: Inside Russia's Network of Re-education and Militarization
- OSCE PA: Russian Abductions and Deportations of Ukrainian Children
- The Guardian: ‘Basically impossible to get them back’: Russia’s mass abduction of Ukrainian children is a war crime, say experts
- United Nations: General Assembly demands return of Ukrainian children by Russia
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