The key facts

  • Kaja Kallas said that more than 20,500 Ukrainian children have been unlawfully taken to Russia
  • The deportations were described as a policy approved by Vladimir Putin, and the evidence as a crime against humanity
  • The EU has imposed sanctions on those involved in the deportations, indoctrination and unlawful adoption of children

Statement at the plenary session of the European Parliament

The European Union has officially accused Russia of conducting a state-organized campaign to take Ukrainian children away, erase their national identity and indoctrinate them in the occupied territories of Ukraine. This was reported by the Anadolu agency citing the speech by the EU's chief diplomat Kaja Kallas at the plenary session of the European Parliament.

Figures and accusations

According to Kallas, more than 20,500 Ukrainian children have been unlawfully taken to Russia. 'The treatment of Ukrainian children over the past four years is the most vivid example of Russia's complete disregard for life,' she said, adding that the deportations are 'a policy of the Russian government approved by President Vladimir Putin' and that 'all the evidence points to a crime against humanity.' She also suggested that the children taken away may later be sent by Russia to fight in the war against Ukraine.

Sanctions, North Korea and demands on Russia

The EU has already imposed sanctions on individuals and organizations that, according to Brussels, are involved in the deportations, indoctrination and unlawful adoption of Ukrainian children. Kallas specifically noted the inclusion in the sanctions lists of the Songdowon international children's camp in North Korea, where, according to available information, Ukrainian children were present: 'Russia kidnaps children, North Korea indoctrinates them. That is how dictatorships divide the labor,' Anadolu quotes her as saying.

Rejection of Moscow's arguments and the prospect of negotiations

Kallas rejected Russia's claims that the children were taken away as part of a humanitarian evacuation, pointing out that Russia has not created a system for their safe return. She named as a priority the immediate establishment of regular and secure communication between the children and their parents, relatives and legal guardians. As for the overall situation, she stated that the EU has always supported efforts toward a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, but 'Russia shows no signs of readiness to negotiate seriously.' The reports about the possible dispatch of children to the front and about their stay in the North Korean camp remain Kallas's statements as quoted by the agency and are not accompanied by independent verification in the publication.