Why won’t the world call Russia’s theft of Ukrainian children genocide? A Ukrainian lawyer has the evidence, and says only the will is missing.
Kateryna Rashevska can walk you through exactly how one Ukrainian child disappears into Russia: the occupied-territory orphanage, the foster placement with a Kremlin-connected family, the re-education camp, the military uniform, the draft notice that arrives at sixteen.
Ukrainian lawyer Kateryna Rashevska has uncovered a disturbing method by which Russia steals Ukrainian children. After leaving the orphanage, these children are placed with families connected to the Kremlin, then sent to re-education camps and military training. At the age of sixteen, they receive a draft notice. Rashevska has documented this process and presented it to the International Criminal Court (ICC), arguing that these actions constitute genocide.
The 1948 Genocide Convention lists forcible transfer of children as one of the acts that constitute genocide, and the ICC's investigation into Ukraine has been examining this charge since 2022. However, despite 154 states signing the convention, none has acted to label Russia's actions as genocide. Rashevska emphasizes that the legal framework is in place; the only missing piece is the political will to call these crimes by their proper name.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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