Ukrainian parliament calls Crimean child adoptions “genocide” as European Court takes case

Apr 17, 2025 - 01:00

More children return to Ukraine from Russian occupation.

The European Court of Human Rights has begun hearing a case concerning the illegal adoption of Ukrainian children from Crimea by Russian citizens. The case involves ten children, aged one to five.

The human rights situation in occupied Crimea has deteriorated significantly since Russia’s annexation in 2014. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has documented numerous abuses, including unlawful detentions, enforced disappearances, and torture. This ongoing repression not only undermines the rights of Crimeans but also serves as a grim warning of potential future violations in other occupied territories.

Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada announced the development on 16 April, citing information from the Parliamentary Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy.

At the time of Russia’s occupation of Crimea, the children were under state care in specialized institutions. After the annexation, Russian authorities refused to return them to Ukraine, withheld information about their whereabouts, and later posted their profiles on Russian adoption websites.

The committee emphasized that a ruling in Ukraine’s favor would establish an important legal precedent, underscoring that the illegal adoption of Ukrainian children by Russia constitutes a clear act of genocide against the Ukrainian people.

As of 2025, evidence confirms that Russia has systematically deported tens of thousands of Ukrainian children, with estimates reaching over 35,000. These children have been forcibly taken from occupied territories and transferred to Russia or areas under its control, often through illegal means.

Many of them are placed in Russian-run camps where they are subjected to forced re-education, indoctrination, and military training aimed at erasing their Ukrainian identities.

International law considers these actions acts of war crimes and genocide, with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Russian officials involved.

Earlier, Kryvyi Rih was hit by a devastating Russian missile strike that killed 20 people, including nine children.

The attack targeted a residential area, damaging homes, playgrounds, and schools, and caused widespread fires and destruction. Among the victims were young children playing near a playground when the missile struck, marking one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in Ukraine this year, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

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