Russia's deportations of Ukrainian children amount to crimes against humanity, UN inquiry finds

GENEVA, March 10 - A U.N. investigation found on Tuesday that Russia's deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children since Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022 amounted to crimes against humanity. Read more at straitstimes.com.

GENEVA, March 10 - A U.N. investigation found on Tuesday that Russia's deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children since Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022 amounted to crimes against humanity.

Ukraine says close to 20,000 children have been illegally sent to Russia and Belarus where they are sometimes subject to military training and forced to fight against their own troops.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and five other Russians over illegal deportation of children. Moscow denies it is taking children against their will, saying it has been evacuating people voluntarily to remove them from a war zone.

"In this report, the Commission concluded that crimes against humanity and war crimes by Russian authorities have targeted children, who are among the most vulnerable victims," said the report.

"These crimes have irreversible consequences on their lives and their future."

The report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine studied the cases of 1,205 children from five regions in Ukraine and said that 80% of them have yet to return.