The occupying authorities in Luhansk Oblast have publicly announced the removal of Ukrainian children
Representatives of the Russian occupation administration in the temporarily occupied Luhansk region have released information about yet another removal of Ukrainian children. In Kyiv and among international human rights organizations, such actions by Russia are viewed as the illegal deportation and forced assimilation of minors from the occupied territories of Ukraine.
According to the so-called “LNR Children’s Ombudsman” Inna Shvenk, since the beginning of 2026 alone, at least 24 Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied Luhansk region have been illegally placed in foster care or officially adopted in “other regions of Russia.”
The occupiers traditionally use a cynical cover story to justify their actions:
- Propaganda cover: Criminal actions are presented under the guise of implementing a “family-preserving approach.”
- The real goal: Under the guise of “placing children in families,” the Kremlin is implementing a deliberate policy of deportation, erasing Ukrainian identity, and assimilating the future generation of Ukrainians.
- Criminal hierarchy: Local occupation Gauleiters directly coordinate the mass removal of children with the top political leadership of the Russian Federation.
The Center for Countering Disinformation notes that such public reports by collaborators are direct and irrefutable evidence of the Russian Federation’s systematic crimes against humanity. Any attempts to legalize or disguise the removal of Ukrainian minors constitute a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and international law.
It should be noted that as of June 2026, Ukraine has officially verified and confirmed the deportation or forced displacement of 20,570 Ukrainian children. This information is collected and analyzed by a special Interagency Commission under the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.
It should be recalled that it was precisely for the illegal deportation and forced displacement of Ukrainian children from the occupied territories that the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague previously issued international arrest warrants for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Russian Children’s Ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova, who directly oversees the actions of her puppets in the “LPR.”
This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation.
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