The problem of the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation remains one of the most acute humanitarian and human rights crises resulting from the war. Despite significant attention from the international community, the exact number of affected children has still not been established, and the process of their return is accompanied by serious political and legal difficulties.
Sources provide significantly different estimates of the scale of deportation. The Ukrainian side has confirmed 19,546 cases of illegal transfer of children. At the same time, the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab estimates this number at approximately 35,000. The Ukrainian Commissioner Daria Herasymchuk, in turn, estimates the real number to be between 200,000 and 300,000 persons. It is also important to note that Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights, who has been put on the wanted list by the International Criminal Court, stated that more than 700,000 Ukrainian children were “relocated” to Russia. This discrepancy in figures is primarily explained by the lack of access to official Russian data, as Russia systematically refuses to provide any information about the transferred children, which contradicts international law and effectively makes independent verification impossible.
Among the deported are both children who have identified parents or legal guardians and orphans or children under state care. Their ages range from several months to 17 years, highlighting the vulnerability of this group and the systemic nature of the transfers. This is not about isolated cases but a large-scale phenomenon affecting various categories of children.
Russian authorities justify such transfers with various reasons, including evacuation from combat zones, participation in cultural exchange programs, the need for medical assistance, or trips to summer and military-patriotic camps. In practice, however, these mechanisms are used to transfer children to the territory of Russia, temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine, or Belarus. According to available data, in 2025 alone, nearly 11,000 Ukrainian children were taken to 164 institutions, indicating the expansion of infrastructure involved in this process.
Individual cases demonstrate the further integration of children into the Russian environment. In particular, children from the Kherson orphanage who were abducted in 2022 remain in Russia as of 2026. Some of them have already been placed in foster families, and their profiles were posted on a state adoption portal. According to investigative journalism, only a small number of children have been returned to Ukraine, while most remain in Russian families. This practice creates risks of losing children’s national identity and significantly complicates their return.
Ukraine is attempting to address this situation through international cooperation. The Bring Kids Back UA initiative has united 38 countries, as well as the Council of Europe and the European Union. As of March 25, 2026, 2,058 children have been returned to Ukraine within this initiative. At the same time, these results remain limited compared to the estimated scale of deportation, which indicates the complexity and duration of this process.
Although the experiences of deported children vary, many of them become targets of deliberate efforts to eradicate their Ukrainian identity. As noted in the report “Abduction and Deportation of Ukrainian Children by Russia” by Special Rapporteur Carina Ödebrink, Member of Parliament (Sweden) and representative of the OSCE PA Parliamentary Support Group for Ukraine, children are subjected to Russification and militarization, including being forced to speak Russian, sing the Russian anthem, participate in military marches, and even being trained to handle weapons. The few children who have returned from such camps show signs of psychological and physical abuse, as well as related trauma — including unconditional obedience to adults and fear of using the Ukrainian language.
A significant factor hindering the return of children is the lack of a coordinated approach among international partners. Representatives of the European Commission emphasize that fragmented actions and the absence of clear coordination between states and organizations reduce the effectiveness of efforts. Under such conditions, even existing diplomatic and legal mechanisms do not yield full results.
From a human rights perspective, the forced transfer of children from occupied territories constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law. Of particular concern are cases of citizenship changes, adoption without the consent of legal representatives, and possible ideological influence on children. Such actions may qualify as war crimes and have long-term consequences not only for individual families but for society as a whole.
The situation with the deportation of Ukrainian children demonstrates a deep crisis in international human rights protection mechanisms in times of war. Lack of access to information, political barriers, and insufficient coordination of efforts significantly complicate the process of returning children. In this context, every successful return is important, but at the same time highlights the scale of the problem, which requires a systematic and consolidated international response.