Urgent: Over 19,500 Ukrainian Children Deported to 210 Russian Facilities

UPDATE: A shocking new investigation has revealed that more than 19,500 Ukrainian children have been deported to at least 210 facilities across Russia since the onset of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. This urgent report from the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) uncovers a disturbing system of “re-education” and militarization targeting these vulnerable children.

The HRL’s findings, released just hours ago, indicate that the actual number of deported children could be as high as 35,000. Reports detail a complex network of facilities, including summer camps, military bases, and even monasteries, designed to indoctrinate and hold thousands of Ukrainian children for extended periods. The implications of this systematic operation are dire and demand immediate global attention.

Inside Russia’s system, children are taken from their communities, often forcibly separated from their parents in frontline areas or taken directly from state institutions. The HRL investigation highlights eight distinct types of facilities where these children are being held, some of which are capable of housing tens of thousands.

According to the report, these facilities span from urban universities to remote camps in Siberia, covering a vast region from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to the Pacific coast of Russia. With over half of these locations directly managed by the Russian government, the situation poses serious concerns about the welfare and rights of these children.

Ukrainian authorities have been working tirelessly to verify the deportations, managing to confirm the forced relocation of 19,500 children as of now. However, the HRL emphasizes that the true scale of this operation likely surpasses documented figures. Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova controversially claimed that Russia has “accepted” 700,000 Ukrainian children between February 2022 and July 2023, a figure starkly at odds with Ukrainian reports.

On the diplomatic front, Ukraine has successfully facilitated the return of 1,605 children through mediation by third-party states, including Qatar and the Vatican. As ongoing discussions about a potential ceasefire continue, Ukrainian officials have reiterated the urgent need to prioritize the return of these children.

“If Russia is genuinely committed to a peace process, the return of at least half the children on this list is positive,”

stated Ukrainian delegation head Rustem Umerov during talks in Istanbul.

Meanwhile, the international community watches closely as this crisis unfolds. In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lvova-Belova, citing their involvement in the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.

The HRL’s groundbreaking revelations have heightened the sense of urgency surrounding this humanitarian crisis, calling for immediate action and international intervention. As these developments continue to unfold, the fate of thousands of Ukrainian children hangs in the balance. The world is now faced with a moral imperative to respond decisively to protect these innocent lives.

Stay tuned for further updates on this evolving story.