Bringing Ukraine's kids back: Almost 60 countries unite to stop Russia's genocidal kidnapping of children
Ministers from 58 countries, including the EU, Canada, and the U.K., announced new sanctions and financial pledges during a Brussels event on May 11 to combat Russia’s abduction of over 20,000 Ukrainian children, labeling it a genocidal act under the U.N. Genocide Convention. The U.K. sanctioned 29 entities, including Yulia Velichko, while the EU targeted three Russian children’s centers, and countries pledged millions to aid child repatriation efforts, with Lithuania committing €10 million alone.
Ministers from 58 countries gathered in Brussels on May 11 to address Russia’s abduction of over 20,000 Ukrainian children since its full-scale invasion, framing the practice as a genocidal act under the U.N. Genocide Convention. The event, co-hosted by the EU, Canada, and Ukraine, followed EU foreign ministers’ agreement to sanction 23 individuals involved in the abductions, with Canada and the U.K. imposing additional sanctions on 23 and 29 entities, respectively. The U.K. targeted Yulia Velichko, a Moscow-installed official in occupied Luhansk Oblast, for her role in issuing Russian passports and indoctrinating Ukrainian children, while the EU sanctioned three Russian children’s centers—Orlyonok, Scarlet Sails, and Smena—for pro-Russian indoctrination programs. Financial contributions were also announced to support child repatriation efforts. The U.K. pledged £1.2 million ($1.6 million) to locate and identify abducted children, while Canada committed an additional CAD 3.4 million ($2.5 million), bringing its total to CAD 4.8 million ($3.5 million). Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys announced a €10 million ($11.7 million) donation, the largest individual pledge. Earlier sanctions by the International Criminal Court in 2023 had already targeted Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova for war crimes related to the forced deportation of Ukrainian children. The coordinated actions highlight a global effort to disrupt Russia’s strategy of militarizing and indoctrinating Ukrainian children, with officials emphasizing the need to expose and dismantle these operations. The EU’s sanctions specifically aimed to cut ties with entities facilitating the deportation and ideological manipulation of children in occupied territories. The event underscored international unity in holding Russia accountable for what participants described as a deliberate campaign to erase Ukraine’s future through systemic child abductions.
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