Deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia is crime against humanity, - Kaya Kallas
The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, stated that the evidence of the organised deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia indicates that a crime against humanity has been committed.
According to Censor.NET, she made this statement during a speech at a plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels, reports "Interfax-Ukraine".
More than 20,000 children were taken to Russia
According to Kallas, more than 20,500 Ukrainian children have been illegally deported from the temporarily occupied territories to Russia. She pointed out that earlier this year the OSCE published a report on an organised campaign by the Russian authorities aimed at erasing Ukrainian identity amongst children.
Callas emphasised that the deportation of the children had been personally approved by the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
"All the evidence points to a crime against humanity," said the European Union representative.
She also drew attention to new information regarding the fate of the abducted children. According to her, there are grounds to believe that Russia may be sending them to fight against Ukraine.
In addition, the European Union has expanded its sanctions list to include individuals and organisations involved in the deportation and ideological indoctrination of Ukrainian children. The list now includes, in particular, the ‘Sondo-1’ international children’s camp in North Korea, where Ukrainian children were found.
"Russia abducts children, whilst North Korea indoctrinates them. That is how dictatorships divide up their 'responsibilities' amongst themselves," said Callas.
The EU is demanding that every Ukrainian child be returned
Callas reported that international diplomatic efforts are helping to return deported children to Ukraine. As of November, 2,719 children had been returned. In particular, 13 children and teenagers were successfully returned last week.
She also pointed out that in December 2025, the European Union co-sponsored a UN General Assembly resolution. The document called on the UN Secretary-General to engage directly with Russia in order to establish the whereabouts of Ukrainian children, verify their state of health and legal status, and secure their return.
According to Callas, the European Union is now expecting concrete further steps in this direction.
She emphasised that bringing the Russian aggression to an end through negotiations must involve not only reducing the threats to Europe’s security, but also ensuring that all Ukrainian children are returned to their parents.
"If this cannot be achieved, it will forever remain a black mark on humanity’s conscience," concluded Callas.
- Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada’s Human Rights Commissioner, previously stated that the occupying forces are detaining and torturing parents whose children refuse to sing the Russian Federation’s national anthem in the temporarily occupied territories.
