A scathing report from Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab has detailed a Kremlin-backed program involving the forced deportation, re-education, and adoption of Ukrainian children. The program, which allegedly operates under the direct support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has raised new allegations of war crimes and potential crimes against humanity.
The report, compiled over 20 months, identifies 314 Ukrainian children who have been forcibly relocated to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. These children, taken primarily from the occupied Donbas regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, were reportedly moved to "midpoint" facilities in Russia before being placed in re-education camps or with Russian families.
"This is part of a systematic, Kremlin-led program to make Ukrainian children into citizens of Russia," said Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of Yale's Humanitarian Research Lab, whose findings were presented to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday.
The program allegedly employs databases, some of which have received millions of rubles from Russia's Presidential Grants Fund. One such platform, the "State data bank of orphans and children left without parental care," includes profiles of children with fabricated names, backstories, and identities, according to the Yale report.
The logistical and financial components of the program are deeply entwined with the Kremlin. Yale researchers found evidence that Russian military aircraft and assets from Putin's Presidential Administration were used to transport children from Ukraine. Satellite imagery confirmed the use of a Tu-154M jet for these missions, including one flight in May 2022, which transported 31 children from Mariupol and Donetsk to Moscow.
In some instances, the report alleges, children were coerced into accepting Russian citizenship. Others were placed in facilities that imposed "pro-state and militarized propaganda." One re-education camp dedicated a week to instilling "ideas about our Motherland, its heroic past," the report stated.
The program's scale extends beyond mere relocation. According to Ukrainian officials, nearly 20,000 children may have been taken by Russia, though the actual number is feared to be higher due to limited oversight in occupied territories. Many children have been removed from orphanages and boarding schools, further complicating efforts to track their whereabouts.
Putin's children's rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, has been directly implicated. Lvova-Belova, who adopted one of the relocated Ukrainian children, claims the actions were "humanitarian" and necessary to protect children in conflict zones. Both Putin and Lvova-Belova are already subjects of International Criminal Court arrest warrants issued in March 2023 for the deportation of Ukrainian children.
"It proves their direct involvement, making changes to law and practice to allow and accelerate coercive adoptions that would have been illegal under Russia's own law in February 2022," said Stephen Rapp, former U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes.
Russia's response to these allegations has been dismissive. Kremlin officials have maintained that no children were relocated without consent, although Yale researchers argue this claim lacks credibility.
Ukraine's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, called for immediate transparency from Russia. "Russia must end its denials of coerced adoption and provide a register of all children from Ukraine it is forcibly detaining. Ukraine will not rest until our children are returned home and those responsible are held accountable," he said.
The report adds to the growing body of evidence pointing to systematic abuses by Russian forces in Ukraine. As international bodies, including the ICC, continue to investigate, the fate of thousands of displaced children remains uncertain.
