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ISW: Russian officials continue to kidnap children under guise of 'vacations'

by Haley Zehrung August 6, 2023 7:02 AM 1 min read

Maria Lvova-Belova holds a press conference at the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow on April 4, 2023. (Photo by ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)

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Russian officials continue to kidnap and transport Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territories to Russia under the guise of 'summer vacations,' the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in its assessment from Aug. 5.

The so-called "stolen generation," of Ukrainian children are usually adopted by Russian families and brainwashed with Russian propaganda, stripping them of their Ukrainian identity and taking them away from living relatives.

The deporation of Ukrainian children to Russian territory is a war crime and constitutes genocide according to one of the five definitions given in the United Nations' Genocide Convention.

On 17 March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s Commissioner for Children's Rights.

The ISW has previously reported instances of Russian officials using the guise of “holidays” and vacation schemes to justify the transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea.

Author: Haley Zehrung

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ISW: Russian officials continue to kidnap children under guise of 'vacations'

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