Заступниця Голови Верховної Ради України Олена Кондратюк взяла участь у Civil Society and Expert Day в Києві – ключовій підготовчій події напередодні засідання Міжнародної коаліції за повернення українських дітей у Брюсселі 11 травня.
The Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk took part in the Civil Society and Expert Day in Kyiv - a key preparatory event ahead of the meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children in Brussels on 11 May.
Opening the event, Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk emphasised that joint efforts with civil society organisations within the Bring Kids Back UA initiative are currently focused on harmonising sanctions lists related to crimes against Ukrainian children.
“An analysis of seven key jurisdictions regarding ‘children-related’ sanctions, conducted by human rights organisations, showed that only 5% of individuals and entities appear across all sanctions lists. Meanwhile, 42% of those sanctioned under Ukraine’s national list are not included in foreign lists,” noted Olena Kondratiuk.
She also recalled that the latest research by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab has, for the first time, directly confirmed the involvement of major russian state-owned corporations, including Gazprom and Rosneft, in the system of deportation and indoctrination of Ukrainian children.
“The study identified 44 affiliated entities linked to this activity. Around 80% of them are not currently subject to U.S. or European sanctions,” she added.
According to the Deputy Speaker, research by human rights activists also documents the systematic involvement of the russian orthodox church in the russian federation’s criminal policy towards Ukrainian children.
“All of this means that sanctions must evolve from broad lists of names to a clearly defined hierarchy of responsibility. Sanctions lists should be segmented into political leadership, administrative coordinators, state-owned corporations, and direct perpetrators. Sanctions can and should also be extended to family members and associated networks. They must be imposed not only for direct actions, but also for facilitation,” emphasised Olena Kondratiuk.
Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk also emphasised that the key shared priority at present is to establish a mechanism for the rapid, automatic harmonisation of national sanctions lists worldwide.
“The outcome of today’s event will be a statement reflecting the agreed position of civil society, which will be submitted to the member states of the Coalition. I urge you to ensure that the position on sanctions harmonisation is fully reflected in the forum’s final declaration. Your conclusions are not background material — they will be central to the decisions to be taken by 47 states on 11 May,” she stressed.
She also recalled that, as of today, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine has verified 20,570 cases of deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children.
“However, this figure is not final. New data is being received every day. According to human rights organisations, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children remain under russian control — deported, forcibly transferred, or still in occupied territories and at risk of removal. Everything that russia is doing to them bears the hallmarks of genocide,” noted Olena Kondratiuk.
The Deputy Speaker added that, despite all obstacles, 2,120 children have been returned under the President’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative. “Each return is a shared achievement of the state, volunteers, non-governmental organisations, and our international partners,” she emphasised.