Організація Ukrainian children abducted by Russia Discussed at GLOBSEC Conference Photo 22.05.2026 02:32 Ukrinform Within the framework of the GLOBSEC International Security Forum, a panel discussion titled “Saving Ukraine’s Future – Caring for the Next Generations” was held, focusing on the issue of returning children abducted by Russia.
Ukrinform correspondent reports.
The discussion presented the following figures: nearly 2 million young Ukrainians are war refugees, 1.6 million are in temporarily occupied territories (of whom about 600,000 are schoolchildren). Additionally, it is believed that 700,000 have been forcibly deported to Russia, and about 5 million suffer daily from the horrors of war.
Kaisa Ollongren, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights at the European External Action Service, stated that all European partners condemn Russia’s crime and are ready to support the process of returning Ukrainian children financially and with expertise. The former Dutch Minister of Defense noted that children are being weaponized not only in this conflict, as Russia is doing. She believes it is important to explain to the European audience that the Nazis did the same during World War II, erasing children’s identities.
“And this is precisely what Russia is doing to Ukrainian children now. Perhaps this is the greatest crime from a humanitarian perspective,” Ollongren emphasized, adding that ISIS also does this. She noted that sanctions are important, but they do not return children – they are just the first step towards accountability.
Legal expert Kateryna Rashevska of the Regional Human Rights Center emphasized that accountability and justice are steps towards preventing the recurrence of such crimes. She informed that 300 Russian officials are under sanctions for similar offenses.
“This war is not about territories, it is about people. The front is everywhere, it is not limited to the line of contact. Occupation is not peace, it is war, constant human rights violations,” said Rashevska.
She drew attention to the militarization of Ukrainian children by Russia, particularly through “Yunarmia” and other similar structures. 344,000 Ukrainian children are already members of the so-called “Movement of the First,” another 65,000 have joined “Yunarmia,” and thousands are taken annually to so-called re-education camps (at least 175 such camps are known in the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukrainian temporarily occupied territories, and even North Korea).
“They are preparing a new generation of soldiers. This is a threat to everyone’s security. They are stealing the children’s past; we cannot allow them to steal their future,” emphasized Rashevska.
In turn, Oksana Hinchuk, Advocacy Advisor at the Child Rights Network of Ukraine, warned: “Time is working against us in this matter; we are losing these children, they will grow up as Russian citizens.” She stressed that the Russian Federation uses children as a political tool, presenting their return as a “gesture of goodwill.” According to Hinchuk, the network has managed to return 366 children.
Mariam Lambert, Executive Director and Co-founder of the “Emily” Foundation and a member of the GLOBSEC Women Leaders Council, spoke about specific examples from children’s institutions in the Kherson region and the efforts to return children and provide them with psychological support. She also agreed that the return of children and family reunification is becoming increasingly difficult.
Tordis Gylfadóttir, the Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on the Situation of Children in Ukraine, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense of Iceland, also drew a parallel with the times of World War II, noting that history repeats itself. However, she emphasized that there are now much better tools to document crimes and ensure that the civilized world knows about them.
Additionally, the GLOBSEC platform and Nova Film (Ukraine) have produced a documentary film titled “Children,” which tells the story of the impact of war trauma on children in Ukraine.
Photo: Olga Tanasiychuk / Ukrinform
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