Child abductions by Russians

Child Abduction: A Vile Crime that can’t Go Unpunished

We’ve been reading hair-raising accounts about the horrendous abductions of Ukrainian children — in many cases infants and toddlers — by marauding Russian cutthroats in uniforms since they invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Each story is worse than the preceding one.

One reason that has been offered is that the Russians want the population of Ukraine to be decreased with little chance of recouping the losses. Sort of a modern version of the Holodomor that killed 7-10 million Ukrainians in 1932-33.

What is most diabolical about his crime against humanity is that it has been sanctioned by Russia’s dictator Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, commissioner of children’s rights in Putin’s office. Both were convicted by the International Criminal Court, a UN agency, in March 2023.

The Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL), ran under the auspices of the Yale School of Public Health, estimates that Russian authorities may be holding as many as 35,000 children abducted from occupied Ukrainian territory.  It the actual number is unknown.

Experts believe some children have been illegally adopted by Russian families, transferred to “youth military camps,” or placed in boarding schools, forcing desperate Ukrainian parents to travel to Russia in search of their kids. The abducted children have also been forcibly taught to speak Russian and adopt a range of Russian habits while disavowing their native Ukrainian heritage.

An initiative Bring Kids Back has so far helped return 1,366 children, though researchers estimate that tens of thousands may still be illegally held in Russia or on occupied territories.

The HRL at Yale identified the abducted children through an analysis of databases, family ties, official documents, and satellite images. HRL director Nathaniel Raymond described the kidnappings as potentially one of the biggest crimes against children since World War II.

“This is likely the largest child abduction in war since WWII—comparable to the Germanification of Polish children by the Nazis,” he said. “Taking a child from one ethnic or national group and making them part of another ethnic or national group – that’s a war crime.”

In addition to other Russian war crimes against Ukraine, ripping a child away from its mother deserves the condemnation of all international organizations like the United Nations and all people of good will. There is no explanation or exoneration for stealing children. After Ukraine defeats Russia, it cannot be allowed to sneak away unpunished.