6000 Ukrainian Children held by Russia for reeducation: Ukraine
16 Feb 2023 13:30:16
Kyiv, Feb 16: Nearly 6,000 Ukrainian children have been held up in Russian-occupied Crimea, Reuters quoted a US-backed report as stating. According to the report, the purpose of holding up children appears to be political re-education. The report said Yale University researchers had identified at least 43 camps and other facilities where Ukrainian children have been held that were part of a "large-scale systematic network" operated by Moscow since its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
"The primary purpose of the camp facilities we've identified appears to be political re-education," Nathaniel Raymond, one of the researchers, was quoted by Reuters as saying.
The children included those with parents or clear familial guardianship, those Russia deemed orphans. Other children were the ones who were in the care of Ukrainian state institutions before the invasion and those whose custody was unclear or uncertain due to the war. The report suggested some of the children were moved through the system and adopted by Russian families, or moved into foster care in Russia. Meanwhile, Ukrainian prosecutors have said they are examining allegations of forced deportation of children as part of efforts to build a genocide indictment against Russia. The system of camps and the adoption by Russian families of Ukrainian children taken from their homeland "appears to be authorized and coordinated at the highest levels of Russia's government," the report stated, beginning with President Vladimir Putin and extending to local officials. This comes even as Moscow denies targetting civilians intentionally and has even pushed back against previous claims it had forcibly moved Ukrainians.
The action could be taken against 12 individuals the report said are not yet under US sanctions, State Department spokesperson Ned Price was quoted by Reuters as saying. "We are always looking at individuals who may be responsible for war crimes, for atrocities inside of Ukraine," he said. "Just because we have not sanctioned an individual to date says nothing about any future action that we may take," Price said.