What changed

B100250/2025

B100252/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the returnReturn of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred and deported byto Russia

(2025/2691(RSP))

having regard to its numerous previous resolutions on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, in particular the one of 15 September 2022 on the human rights violations in the context of forced deportation of Ukrainian civilians to and forced adoption of Ukrainian children in Russia,

having regard to Rule 150 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to Article II (e) ofits theprevious Conventionresolutions on the Prevention andRussia’s Punishmentwar of theaggression Crimeagainst ofUkraine, Genocide,​

– having regard to Articlethe 49Geneva Conventions, the UN Convention on the Rights of the FourthChild, Genevathe Rome Statute, the Hague Convention, and to resolutions by the PACE;

– having regard to the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child of 20 November 1989 and the additional protocols thereto,

having regard to the arrest warrants issued by the ICC against Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova for the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children,

– having regard to Rule 150(5) of its Rules of Procedure.

whereas over 19,000 Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia or Russian-occupied territories, with many subjected to illegal adoption, identity changes, indoctrination and militarisation aimed at erasing their Ukrainian identity; whereas the estimated number of unreported cases is likely to be significantly higher; whereas only 1300 children have returned from deportation, forced transfers or temporarily occupied territories, according to the Bring Kids Back UA initiative founded by President Zelenskyy;

whereas reportedly hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children have been forcibly transferredfamilies toin the temporarily occupied territories orare deportedthreatened towith Russianthe territory,separation withoutof informationtheir aboutchildren theirif whereaboutsthey andrefuse into manyexchange casestheir toUkrainian remotepassports regions;for Russian ones;

whereas only about 1.200 among the documented 20.000 deported children have returned to Ukraine so far;

whereas the forcible transfer of children is a war crime and may amount to genocide under the Genocide Convention;

whereas international law unequivocally prohibits transfer to an occupied territory or deportation from an occupied territory to the territory of the occupying power, which constitutes a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions and a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC);

whereas Russia obstructs efforts to trace and repatriate these children, denies access to international organizations and withholds information from Ukrainian authorities;​

whereas on 17 March 2023 the ICC issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova for their responsibility for the war crime of unlawful transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children since February 2022;

Strongly condemns the violent actions of the Russian Federation and the role of Belarus against Ukrainian children, including killings, injuries, forced transfer and deportation, sexual abuse, exploitation, pro-Russian indoctrination and militarization;

1. Demands that Russiathe informimmediate aboutcessation theof names,these whereaboutspractices and wellbeingcalls offor allthe transferredsafe andreturn deportedof all Ukrainian children and enableto their immediatefamilies andor safelegal return;guardians in Ukraine;​

2. Urges the Russian federal and local authorities to grant international organisations such as the ICRC, OHCHR and UNICEF access to all Ukrainian children deported to occupied territory or to the Russian territory;

Insists that the unconditional return of all Ukrainian children, as well as the release of POWs and civilian hostages, must be a precondition for the start of peace negotiations;

3. Reiterates that the deportation of Ukrainian children is a grave violation of international humanitarian law, in particular of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and constitutes a war crime;

Urges Russia to provide comprehensive information on the identities, locations, and current status of all children who have been forcibly transferred or deported and to grant immediate and unhindered access to international organizations to monitor their conditions and facilitate their return;​

4. Calls on the EU and its Member States to closely cooperate with and support Ukrainian authorities and other international organisations such as ICRC in their efforts to document all missing and deported Ukrainian children, determine their whereabouts and repatriate them in order to promptly reunite them with their parents or legal custodians;

Commends the work of civil society organisations and individuals who tirelessly work to rescue Ukrainian children;

5. UrgesSupports the USinitiative GovernmentBring toKids maintainBack itsUA crucialand financialInternational supportCoalition tofor initiativesthe documentingReturn andof trackingUkrainian deportedChildren Ukrainianand childrencalls suchfor asactive theEU Yaleand Humanitarianits ResearchMembers Lab,States support and participation; urges the EUUS to urgently enablemaintain suchits operationsfunding to continueresearch unabated;tracking deportations;

6. Emphasizes that any genuine peace deal must entail the return of the children as well as accountability for their deportation to Russia;

Calls for increased support to Ukrainian institutions and CSOs working on the return and reintegration of affected children;​

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission/ High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and to the President, Government and Parliament of Ukraine, the United States and the Russian Federation.

Urges the Commission and Member States to utilize all legal instruments to hold to account those responsible and impose additional targeted sanctions against individuals and entities involved in the violent actions against Ukrainian children;​

Regrets that the ICRC does not fulfil its mission in Russia and the Russian-occupied territories;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the HR/VP, UN, ICRC and the President and government of Ukraine.