A report backed by the US State Department claims that Russian presidential planes and funds were used to transport 314 Ukrainian children to Russia for adoption between May and October 2022. The research, conducted by Yale University&rsquo;s Humanitarian Research Lab, alleges a Kremlin-led programme aimed at stripping these children of their Ukrainian identity and integrating them into Russian society.
Of the identified children, 166 have been placed with Russian families, while others remain in institutions or listed for placement, the research, reported first by Reuters, said. 
&ldquo;This collection of evidence demonstrates a systematic effort to forcibly transfer Ukraine&rsquo;s children into Russia,&rdquo; said Nathaniel Raymond, the &nbsp;Executive Director of Yale's Humanitarian Research Lab, and the report&rsquo;s lead author.&nbsp;
Forcible transfer is recognized as a crime against humanity under international law, a designation more severe than a war crime due to its systematic nature.
Ukraine estimates that 19,500 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied Crimea since the invasion began. Meanwhile, Russia continues to deny the accusations.
Responding to the report, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X: &ldquo;Ukraine is tirelessly working to ensure our children return home and that all those responsible for these heinous crimes are punished.&rdquo;
The Yale report claims to be based on more than 20 months of analysis of data from Russian adoption agencies and other logistical avenues.&nbsp;It says that the Ukrainian children were put through &ldquo;patriotic re-education&rdquo; and militarized propaganda at processing facilities in Russia. 
Linking Russian President Vladimir Putin directly to the operations, the report says that Russia began transferring Ukrainian children from occupied territories in the days leading up to the February 2022 invasion. Between May and October 2022, multiple groups of children were transported via Russian Federation-flagged military planes, under the direct control of Putin&rsquo;s office.&nbsp;
The report specifies that at least two groups flew on aircraft managed by the Presidential Property Management Department within the Russian Presidential Administration. One notable transfer occurred on September 16, 2022, when children from Donetsk and Luhansk were first brought to Rostov, near the Ukrainian border, before being flown to the Chkalovsky military airfield outside Moscow on a TU-154M aircraft, tail number RA-85123, operated by the 223rd Flight Squadron of the Russian Defense Ministry. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24.com confirmed this.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia&rsquo;s commissioner for children&rsquo;s rights, accusing them of war crimes for the deportation of Ukrainian children. Lvova-Belova has denied these allegations, claiming the transfers were carried out with consent when possible and were for the children&rsquo;s safety amid the war.
Lvova-Belova has challenged Kyiv's numbers and asked it to provide evidence.
She previously said 380 orphans and unaccompanied children were placed with Russian foster families under legal frameworks between April and October 2022. Russia, which does not recognize the ICC, has dismissed the charges as politically motivated. However, the ICC warrants could restrict international travel for those charged, as its 124 member states are obligated to enforce them.
Former prosecutor at the international tribunals for Rwanda and Sierra Leone Stephen Rapp said that the report &ldquo;proves their direct involvement, making changes to law and practise to allow and accelerate coercive adoptions that would have been illegal under Russia's own law in February 2022,&rdquo; Reuters reported. &nbsp;

Children were reportedly flown to a Russian military airfield on a TU-154M aircraft like this one

Kremlin-backed programme took Ukrainian children for adoption in Russia, report alleges

Report Links Putin’s Jets to Child Transfers

Kremlin-backed programme took Ukrainian children for adoption in Russia, report alleges

December 4, 2024 | 19:06 IST