Putin personally oversees deportation of Ukrainian children, study finds

Russian leader Vladimir Putin personally initiated a program for the abduction, deportation, forced adoption, and re-education of kidnapped Ukrainian children in Russia, according to a new report from the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab (Yale HRL).

The 20-month study of the deportation of Ukrainian children identified the names of 314 minors who were illegally taken to Russia. At least 208 names were found in Russia’s adoption database or were placed under guardianship.

“Russia utilizes psychologists as part of an apparent effort to legitimize the program,” the report states.

At least 67 children have already been “naturalized as Russian citizens.”

“Although Yale HRL can reasonably assume that the number of formally naturalized children is significantly higher,” the text adds.

In total, the occupiers have abducted more than 30,000 underage Ukrainians.

“Russia’s Aerospace Forces and aircraft under the direct control of President Putin’s office transported multiple groups of children from Ukraine on Russian Federation-flagged military transport planes for placement with citizens of Russia between May and October 2022,” the report states.

Initially, the children were taken to transit locations, including temporary detention centers and schools in the Kursk and Rostov-on-Don regions. Researchers now say the deported children could be in at least 21 regions of Russia.

As a reminder, on March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova in connection with the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.