The Konrad Adenauer Foundation in New York (KAS New York) hosted a roundtable discussion on the international law implications of the abduction of Ukrainian children during Russia's war of aggression.
For the past two years, the KAS New York Office has focused its rule of law and international justice program on examining the various angles and challenges faced by civilians due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Our office is devoted to our advocacy efforts to expose the troubling situation of children and families who have been forcibly and illegally separated from one another as a result of Russia’s invasion.
Since the invasion, some children—especially those in institutional care or separated from their parents or guardians during hostilities—were forcibly transferred within occupied territories or deported outside Ukraine, potentially violating strict international humanitarian law restrictions on the movement of children. Around 200 children, almost all from institutions, were transferred individually or in groups either within the occupied territory or to the Russian Federation since 2022. In many cases, their whereabouts remain unknown.
The abduction of Ukrainian children, particularly in the context of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, raises not only legal questions under both international law and international humanitarian law, but also the scope of the tactics and methods utilized by the Russian aggressor to abduct Ukrainian children in occupied territories: indoctrination, militarization, and deportation.
How does international humanitarian law address the abduction of children during armed conflicts? What are the broader legal implications of abducting children from Ukraine? These are relevant questions responded by our speakers.
Our speakers included:
Speaker I
Jan Philip
Deputy Director
Konrad Adenauer Foundation
Office in Ukraine
Speaker II
Ms. Onysiia Syniuk
Legal Analyst
Center for Human Rights ZMINA,
Ukraine
Speaker III
Dr. Mónica Castillejos-Aragón
Program Manager, Rule of Law and International Justice
Konrad Adenauer Foundation, New York Office