Four and a half months after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for her arrest, Russia’s Maria Lvova-Belova confirmed more than 700,000 Ukrainian kids were moved to Russia. In a report she authored, Lvova-Belova said Russia “accepted” almost 5 million Ukrainians since the war began.
Lvova-Belova, backing the party line, maintained the vast majority of the Ukrainian children brought to Russia were accompanied by a parent or guardian. The International Criminal Court (ICC) said it has credible evidence the kids are being forcibly deported, which is a violation of the Geneva Convention’s Article 49, and amounts to cultural genocide.
On March 17, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Lvova-Belova and Russian President Vladimir Putin for their responsibility in overseeing the forced deportations. If either Putin or Lvova-Belova travel to a member nation of the International Criminal Court, they’ll be arrested on sight.
In February of this year, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, “Putin seeks to rob Ukraine of its future by taking its children. Russia’s system of forced relocation, reeducation and adoption of Ukraine’s children is a key element of the Kremlin’s systematic efforts to deny and suppress Ukraine’s identity, its history and its culture.”
A handful of Ukrainian kids were able to make it back home from Russia, but the vast majority are still gone. Russia is accused of operating a network of more than 100 facilities to house all of the stolen children. Younger kids are put into foster homes or adopted quickly, while older kids are sent to reeducation camps.
Russia also mandates military service for most 18- to 27-year-old males, and there are plans to expand the upper limit to 30. If the war continues into 2024 and beyond, it’s possible Ukrainian kids could one day be forced to fight against their homeland.
According to official data from the Ukrainian government, 19,546 children were deported from Ukraine to Russia as of July 31. However, this number only reflects cases that were officially recorded. Cases were officially recorded when a parent, guardian or witness to the deportation reported it to Ukrainian authorities.
Meanwhile, the toll on civilians is felt in other ways across Ukraine’s war-torn regions. Doctors are reporting the number of amputations performed is about on par with how many were performed during World War I.
Newly compiled data from medical sources and charities operating in Ukraine estimate between 20,000 and 50,000 Ukrainians lost one or more limbs since the start of the war. The actual figure could be much higher by the time the war ends.
Sixty-seven thousand Germans needed an amputation during World War I, along with 41,000 Britons. Over the course of the United States’ wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, fewer than 2,000 veterans had an amputation.
The Wall Street Journal reported that of the 200,000 serious injuries suffered by Ukrainians over the course of the war, about 10% required some form of amputation. Unfortunately, those are the type of numbers one should expect to see based on the type of war being waged, where indiscriminate Russian artillery and the heavy use of mines means both Ukrainian civilians and soldiers are targeted.
