Video: Lubinec Confirms the Deportation of 20,000 Ukrainian Children
The deportation of 20,000 Ukrainian children to Russia has been officially confirmed, said Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada’s Commissioner for Human Rights. According to him, Gazprom financed the removal of children from Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, made this statement during a meeting with Monaco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Isabelle Berro-Amadeu.
He emphasized that approximately 20,000 deported and forcibly displaced Ukrainian children have been officially confirmed.
Russian businesses are also involved in this process. In particular, the Ukrainian side stated that “Gazprom” financed the removal of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.
“Their names, dates of birth, and places of birth are being changed; the Russian language is being forced upon them; and they are being recruited into ‘Yunarmiya.’ This is not an ‘evacuation.’ This is the systematic erasure of Ukrainian identity and the forced militarization of children,” Lubinets stated.
Separately, during the meeting, they discussed Russia’s unlawful detention of Ukrainian civilians. This includes, in particular, journalists, religious leaders, activists, and others who, according to Ukraine, are being persecuted because of their pro-Ukrainian stance or identity.
They also discussed the forced issuance of Russian passports to Ukrainians in the occupied territories, the confiscation of property, and the settlement of these territories by Russian citizens. Lubinets also raised the issue of Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure and the use of drones against the civilian population.
In particular, he referred to incidents that Ukraine calls “civilian safaris,” in which Russian military personnel deliberately target civilians with drones. The Ombudsman called on the Council of Europe to conduct a separate investigation into this practice and its possible connection to the training of Russian military personnel.
According to Ukrainian data, more than 265,000 war crimes have already been recorded in Ukraine.
During the meeting, the issue of establishing a Special Tribunal to address crimes committed by the Russian Federation’s leadership was also raised. Lubinets emphasized the need not only for international support but also for the creation of effective mechanisms to hold the perpetrators accountable. This year, Monaco joined the international Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, which, according to the Ukrainian side, currently comprises 51 members.
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