The Ukrainian Parliament has supported in the first reading draft law No. 12170, which provides for expanding accountability for the deportation, unlawful transfer, and delay in the repatriation of children and minors, as well as for their recruitment and use for military purposes. Strengthening criminal liability in this regard will lead to a decrease in such crimes.
Member of Parliament, Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Verkhovna Rada, Halyna Mykhailiuk reported.
«Currently, the Criminal Code of Ukraine does not contain any mention of deportation, forced relocation, or recruitment of children by the aggressor state. We now have information that more than 19,456 children have been illegally deported by the russian federation. These are official figures, but the reality is much more dramatic. We know that over 700,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly taken by the aggressor state to the territory of the russian federation,» the politician stated.
She reminded that the International Criminal Court recognizes the deportation of children as a war crime, which is why arrest warrants have been issued for putin and maria lvova-belova.
«Special attention in the adopted draft law is given to the recruitment of our children, when they are used by russia to target military, defense, and nationally significant infrastructure. The text of the document has been agreed upon with all law enforcement agencies. We had a large working group with representatives from the National Police, SBU, and the State Bureau of Investigation. All their comments and suggestions were considered and taken into account. I am convinced that strengthening criminal liability in this regard will lead to a reduction in such crimes,» emphasized the Member of Parliament.