The kidnapping of Ukrainian children

By: Luis Gonzales Posada - 17/09/2025

The Council of Europe, made up of 41 states, has censured Vladimir Putin's government for kidnapping thousands of Ukrainian children and transporting them to its territory. In this sordid context, a Yale University (USA) investigation denounced the existence of a network of 210 facilities where 35,000 children have been transferred.

The report adds that "the minors are re-educated in Russian patriotism, receive military instruction, and are trained in trench warfare"—a perverse, inhumane, and illegal manipulation that must not go unpunished.

Let us also remember that in March 2023 the International Criminal Court (ICC) ordered the arrest of the Russian autocrat and the Commissioner for the Rights of the Child, Maria Levova-Belova, for this serious crime which, according to the Rome Statute (article 7) constitutes a "crime against humanity", as well as murder, slavery, deportation or forced transfer of the population, forced disappearance of persons, the persecution of a group or collectivity with its own identity, based on political, racial, ethnic, cultural, religious motives.

For her part, Daria Herasymchuk, President Zelensky's advisor on children, stated that only 20,000 abducted children have been identified, of whom 1,604 have been recovered. The whereabouts of the others are unknown, and it is not ruled out that some of the victims are dead or in prison.

He then claims that "the Russians are committing genocide. Their goal is to murder, injure, or kidnap children of all ages. They endure militarization and political indoctrination. They are deprived of their national identity, forced to have a passport and speak Russian. And they know that when they turn 18, they will be forced to join the ranks of their army to fight Ukraine." (Diario Expreso of Ecuador, September 15, 2025)

In response to these barbaric acts, an international coalition has been formed to rescue these minors and return them to their homeland. This diplomatic alliance brings together 42 countries, including Costa Rica, Argentina, and Chile. Ecuador plans to join, and we hope Peru will follow suit.

It is strange, however, given the seriousness of the events, that the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) remains silent, as do hundreds of NGOs that work to protect human rights.

In short: Russia continues to bomb residential buildings, hospitals, and schools in a conflict that has left one million people on both sides dead or injured, while the destruction of Ukraine's infrastructure is estimated at $580 billion, according to the UN.

Only more sanctions, combined with European and American isolation and pressure against Putin, can end this chapter of terror in a world without rules or guarantees, where multilateral organizations prove powerless to contain a totalitarian and anti-Western regime.

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