Throughout history, there have been distressing practices during wartime, especially concerning children. The Romans, for instance, would seize defeated leaders and their children to Romanize them. Similarly, during the Ottoman Empire, Christian boys from the Balkans were lured, converted to Islam, and later became part of the Janissary forces or governmental roles. In the Americas, Spanish conquerors would convert Indigenous children to Christianity and exploit them for slave labor.
Currently, in the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russian forces have revived this cruel practice. Since the war began, they have forcibly taken children from orphanages, homes, and hospitals, declaring them “orphans,” regardless of their actual family situations.
Many of these children are then sent to “summer camps” or so-called “reeducation” centers in Russia, where they are bombarded with propaganda aimed at erasing their national identity and imposing Russian history and ideology.
The Kremlin has also pushed for the adoption of Ukrainian children by Russian families, which it believes would be more compliant. In May 2022, Putin signed a directive to facilitate and promote these adoptions. Maria Lvova Belova, the Russian commissioner for children’s rights, actively promotes this agenda, reminiscent of the hollow promises of human rights seen in Stalin’s era.
According to international law, abducting children in such a manner qualifies as war crimes and crimes against humanity. On February 22, 2023, one year after the invasion of Ukraine, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Putin and Lvova-Belova, citing their involvement in the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children from occupied areas.
Not surprisingly, the warrants have had little to no impact on either Putin or Lvova-Belova. The Russian government continues its campaign to recruit and “reeducate” Ukrainian children, with an estimated 20,000 forcibly taken from their homeland thus far. This practice persists alongside ongoing military conflicts.
Numerous organizations, including the UN General Assembly, the ICC, and the Red Cross, have condemned Russia’s treatment of Ukrainian children. The European Union and the Council of Europe have also voiced their concerns. Countries like Canada, the UK, Australia, and Japan have labeled this abduction as a form of genocide. Recently, President Trump indicated he might persuade Putin to release these children.
With the growing international outcry and Trump’s remarks, there was a hope he would address this issue during his recent meeting with Putin in Alaska. Trump delivered a letter from First Lady Melania Trump, which talked about children quietly resisting darkness around them. She urged Putin to help restore their joyful laughter.
The letter suggested a call for help but didn’t directly confront the situation in Ukraine, and Trump did not press Putin on this matter. Meanwhile, Russia continues its violations as if unchecked by the international community.
Trump has also proposed a trilateral meeting with President Zelensky of Ukraine and Putin. Should this meeting occur, Zelensky will undoubtedly push for the return of his children to Ukraine, a plea that Trump should support as well.
Even if a meeting isn’t on the immediate horizon, Trump should appeal to Putin to halt these abductions and start the process of bringing the affected children back home. They truly deserve better than this.
