Official statements from the Russian government or media coverage

Yale Report: 314 Ukrainian Children Forcibly Adopted by Russia, Putin's Aircraft Used

Dec 3, 2024, 06:45 PM

A Yale University report has detailed Russia's systematic program of coerced adoption and fostering of Ukrainian children, identifying 314 children who were forcibly taken from occupied Ukrainian territories to Russia. The report alleges that Russian presidential aircraft and funds were used in this program, which aimed to strip these children of their Ukrainian identity and place them with Russian families. The investigation, spanning from May to October 2022, found that some children were transported on planes linked to Putin's administration. This evidence has been handed over to the International Criminal Court, with the report set to be presented to the UN Security Council. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned these actions as war crimes, highlighting Russia's efforts to erase the Ukrainian identity of these children.