Yale Report Exposes Russian Program to Deport and "Russify" Ukrainian Children

A new report from Yale’s School of Public Health, supported by the U.S. State Department, reveals alarming details of a program in which Russian presidential aircraft and state funds were used to transport Ukrainian children from occupied territories, strip them of their Ukrainian identities, and place them with Russian families. The findings, published Tuesday, describe the systematic deportation of at least 314 Ukrainian children to Russia in the early months of the ongoing war.

The research, led by Nathaniel Raymond, Executive Director of Yale's Humanitarian Research Lab, indicates that these actions were part of a Kremlin-funded initiative aimed at "Russifying" the children. Raymond will present these findings to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, with the United States holding the presidency of the 15-member body this month.

In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, on charges related to the forced deportation of Ukrainian children. At the time, Lvova-Belova claimed that the efforts were carried out on "humanitarian grounds" to protect children in conflict zones. However, her office has not provided a response to the latest findings, and the Kremlin has declined to comment, citing time constraints.

The new Yale report provides further evidence that these actions were part of a broader, systematic program orchestrated by the Russian government, with potential legal ramifications for Putin. Raymond stated that the research supports additional charges of "forcible transfer" under international law, a crime against humanity. The deportation of Ukrainian children, he argued, constitutes part of an organized effort by Russia to absorb them into its population, forcibly altering their national and ethnic identity.

Forcible transfer

Russia, which does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction, has dismissed the arrest warrants as meaningless. Nevertheless, the court’s rulings could influence international travel, as its 124 member states are legally obligated to execute warrants issued by the court.

The Yale study drew on data from three Russian government adoption databases spanning 20 months, allowing researchers to track the logistics, funding, and specific identities of the 314 children allegedly transferred from Ukraine. While the Ukrainian president's office and the prosecutor general's office did not provide immediate comments, the findings underscore the growing international concern over Russia’s treatment of children from the occupied territories and the potential legal consequences for those involved in these actions.