The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) heard a case concerning 10 Ukrainian children who were forcibly transferred from Crimea after Russia's annexation in 2014. The Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (UHHRU) lodged the case, arguing that Russian nationality was imposed on the children taken from childcare institutions. The group claims that there has been no information on their whereabouts since 2014, which they argue constitutes enforced disappearance.
Ahead of the hearing, Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir, the special envoy of the Council of Europe Secretary General, emphasized the importance of keeping the issue of Ukrainian children at the forefront of the political agenda.
Four Ukrainian human rights and journalistic groups accuse Moscow of violating the international Convention on the Rights of the Child, citing various charges including the deportation of children, illegal adoption, and changes to children's identities and nationalities. Onysiia Syniuk of the Zmina rights group stated that the change of identity, including names and dates of birth, makes tracking these children extremely difficult.
The children involved in the case were between one and five years old in 2014 and were reportedly given to Russian families for adoption. Denys Chistikov, a Ukrainian official, noted that the case aims to highlight the systematic nature of Russia's policies regarding Ukrainian children.
In 2014, Russia initiated the Train of Hope Crimea adoption program, which showcased children on Kremlin-run television to facilitate their adoption or transfer to Russian orphanages. Observers suggest that this practice has continued and expanded following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Russian officials deny the allegations, asserting that children are not abducted but rescued from war zones. Reports indicate that Ukrainian children have been taken from orphanages and sent to summer camps in Crimea before being relocated to orphanages or foster families in Russia. Chistikov mentioned that many children enter Russia’s school system, where they are taught about Moscow's military operations in Ukraine and are subjected to indoctrination.
Kyiv claims that nearly 20,000 children and teenagers have been taken from occupied regions, primarily after 2022. Syniuk stated that Russia aims to turn these children into Russian nationals through its education and militarization efforts.
After the two-hour hearing, ECHR Judge Lado Chanturia stated that the court will deliberate on the admissibility and merits of the case, without specifying a date for a ruling. Denys Kostev, a Ukrainian orphan, shared his experience of being taken to a Crimean children’s camp and later to an orphanage in Moscow, from which he managed to escape and return to Ukraine. He expressed concerns about the impact of separation from parents on children.