Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the conflict has led to the abduction of thousands of children. Infants were taken from hospitals, teenagers were stopped at checkpoints, and orphans were forcibly removed from shelters and sent across borders for what the Kremlin describes as “re-education.”
This practice, labeled as patriotic adoption, is, under international law, categorized as deportation—an act considered a war crime and one of the five actions that can define genocide.
Now, nearly three years later, humanitarian organizations estimate that between 18,000 to 20,000 Ukrainian children are still held in Russia or in areas occupied by Russian forces. Some of these children end up in state-run orphanages, while others are placed with Russian foster families who commit to raising them as “true Russians.” In some cases, children are sent to military training facilities, where they are trained to fight against Ukraine. Tragically, many have simply vanished into the complexities of Russia’s bureaucratic system, or worse, have fallen victim to exploitation.
During my time at the Department of Defense, I was involved in developing policies around biometrics and identity systems. These frameworks assist U.S. government agencies in tracking known terrorists and, on a more benign note, make it easier for service members to pass through TSA PreCheck.
As an Army intelligence officer who transitioned from counterterrorism to working as a Russian analyst, I quickly realized early in the war that the plight of Ukraine’s missing children didn’t have to be permanent. The United States and its allies possess systems specifically designed to locate individuals who are trying to evade detection. These same resources could be employed to trace victims of state-directed kidnappings.
Sure, Russia can assign new identities and create false passports for these children. However, with the appropriate authorities and a robust network of partners in the U.S., there is potential to track down almost any abducted child. By utilizing established information-sharing agreements, we can provide this essential service at a minimal cost across various conflict zones. The key lies in choosing to deploy these resources for humanitarian efforts.
A bipartisan bill has recently passed the Senate that would allow U.S. law enforcement and national security agencies to utilize their biometric systems to search for abducted Ukrainian children. This would enable analysts to cross-reference photographs, passport information, and border records to identify where these children are being kept or moved. The data could then be relayed to Interpol’s “Yellow Notices,” alerting all checkpoints in North America and Europe. This initiative would give Ukraine a comprehensive overview of where these children are and aid in their recovery.
The bill is currently awaiting consideration in the House of Representatives. Its financial implications are relatively minor—estimated at about $15 million annually—yet its moral significance is profound. Few actions could generate as much goodwill toward the United States than reuniting these stolen children with their families.
Some might argue that this task should fall to charities and non-governmental organizations rather than government bodies. However, that perspective misunderstands the gravity and intention behind these crimes. Russia isn’t merely abandoning children; it’s erasing their identities and rehoming them with new families. There’s no volunteer organization capable of countering a nation that engages in such extensive deception. Only the U.S. government, equipped with its intelligence capabilities and partnerships, has the necessary tools.
There are concerns about utilizing intelligence resources for humanitarian purposes. However, this is not a broadening of power; rather, it’s a reallocation of existing capabilities to address genocide. The system already operates continuously to monitor terrorists and traffickers. The real question is whether we will use it to facilitate family reunions as well.
The Senate has acted; now it falls to the House Foreign Affairs and Military Affairs Committee to decide whether to empower the United States to locate these children and share that information with the Ukrainian government.
Ultimately, this war will come to an end, and the abduction of children should never be leveraged as negotiation tools. I resonate with the sentiments expressed by First Lady Melania Trump: repatriation must be a prerequisite for peace. The necessary technology and legal framework are in place, and the financial cost is minimal. What truly remains is the resolve to take action.
While Russia may call these abductions “patriotic adoptions,” history will rightly categorize this as a generational crime. Congress has the opportunity to help end this egregious situation at a minimal cost. It’s time to pass the bill. We must activate the system and bring these children home.
