Russia has forcibly transferred an estimated 20,000 Ukrainian children, many of whom have been forced to change their identity and placed for adoption.

Omissions

• The European Commission and other sources emphasize that these transfers are 'unlawful' and 'forcible' deportations.
• The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova in March 2023 for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.
• Some sources cite slightly varying figures (e.g., 'almost 20,000' or 'tens of thousands'), but the 20,000 figure is the most commonly cited estimate by official bodies.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Commission20,000 Ukrainian children have been unlawfully deported and forcibly transferred to Russia and the temporarily occupied territories. Many have been given Russian nationality and placed for adoption.
• SecondaryBBCUkraine says almost 20,000 children have been illegally sent to Russia and Belarus. In 2023 the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin for the alleged unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.
• SecondaryABC News AustraliaA United Nations commission has formally ruled that Russia committed crimes against humanity by deporting Ukrainian children from occupied territories to Russia and giving them Russian nationality and placing them for adoption.