The European Parliament adopted a resolution titled “Ukrainian Children Forcibly Deported to russia or Living in the Territories of Ukraine Occupied by russia.”
This was announced by the Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Olena Kondratiuk, who is currently on a working visit to the European Parliament.
A total of 536 MEPs voted in favour, 8 voted against, and 37 abstained.
“I welcome the decision of the European Parliament. I thank the MEPs for their special attention to russia’s crimes of forced deportation, militarization, and erasure of the identity of Ukrainian children, as well as the need to increase sanctions pressure on the russian federation in order to bring Ukrainian children back and stop the violations of their rights,” Olena Kondratiuk emphasized.
According to the Deputy Speaker, the key takeaway of the new European Parliament resolution is a shift in the approach to russia’s crimes against Ukrainian children.
“The focus is now not only on deported children, but also on the 1.6 million Ukrainian children who remain under occupation. The European Parliament demands an end to their forced russification, indoctrination, and militarization, as well as ensuring their right to Ukrainian education and the possibility of safe passage out,” Olena Kondratiuk emphasized.
Furthermore, the European Parliament states that russia’s actions against Ukrainian children meet the legal definition of genocide and calls on EU Member States to formally recognize them as such.
“It is proposed to expand sanctions to cover the entire system of organizing and enabling these crimes. This concerns not only officials, but also state-owned corporations—specifically Gazprom and Rosneft—involved in financing the transfer and re-education of Ukrainian children, accompanied by a specific list of categories of individuals to be sanctioned,” Olena Kondratiuk underscored.
As the Deputy Speaker noted, the European Parliament also specifically emphasized that the return of Ukrainian children cannot be a subject of political bargaining or territorial concessions during peace negotiations.
The Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Olena Kondratiuk, also outlined in greater detail the content of the resolution, which covers the return of deported children, the protection of children under occupation, international sanctions, criminal accountability, and post-return assistance.
The European Parliament states that russia’s actions against Ukrainian children meet the legal definition of genocide and calls on EU Member States to formally recognize them as such.
The European Parliament demands that russia immediately return all deported and forcibly transferred children. In particular, it demands that russia:
Provide complete information on the whereabouts, health status, and legal status of every child;
Ensure access for international organizations, including the ICRC, UNICEF, and the UN.
Revoke unlawful adoptions as well as changes made to children’s citizenship and personal data;
Close down russian online catalogs listing Ukrainian children for adoption.
A separate major section is dedicated to the approximately 1.6 million Ukrainian children who remain in the occupied territories.
The European Parliament demands an end to forced russification, military-patriotic upbringing, training children to handle weapons and combat drones, and involving them in russian military structures.
It also demands ensuring instruction in the Ukrainian language, including distance education, as well as the safe and voluntary departure of children together with their families to territory controlled by the Government of Ukraine.
The European Parliament calls for expanding sanctions to cover the entire system of crimes against children—targeting not only officials who organize deportations, but also the entire network of those involved: educational institutions, children’s camps, transport operators, adoption organizations, youth structures, and other actors.
It separately calls for sanctions against Gazprom, Rosneft, and affiliated subsidiaries that, according to Yale University, financed or facilitated the transfer and re-education of Ukrainian children.
It also proposes strengthening international coordination of sanctions lists.
The European Parliament supports the ICC arrest warrants for putin and lvova-belova, but emphasizes that accountability must extend across the entire chain of perpetrators.
It calls on EU Member States to exercise universal jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute mid- and low-level officials, as well as to strengthen cooperation between Europol, Eurojust, and Ukrainian authorities in gathering evidence.
The European Parliament proposes strengthening international mechanisms for tracing and returning children, specifically to:
Stepping up the work of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children;
Supporting a digital database for tracing missing children;
Introducing special parliamentary rapporteurs and ambassadorial patronage to ensure sustained attention to the fate of missing and deported children;
Obliging the European Commission to report to the European Parliament on the implementation of the International Coalition’s agreements;
Calling on Hungary—the only EU Member State that has not joined the Coalition—to join it.
The European Parliament welcomes the European Commission’s decision to mobilize an additional EUR 50 million for the child protection system in Ukraine.
It calls for ensuring long-term post-return assistance for children, including psychological, medical, educational, and legal support, restoration of identity documents, and family-based care.
It separately provides for supporting civil society and human rights organizations engaged in tracing children, documenting crimes, and facilitating their return.
The European Parliament emphasizes that the return of Ukrainian children cannot be a subject of bargaining, a condition for territorial concessions, a prisoner exchange, or other political arrangements.
Children’s rights and accountability for crimes committed against them must be central issues in any peace negotiations.