Helen Pattinson, CEO of War Child UK, put it powerfully: “This is not collateral damage. It is deliberate and it is a war crime.”
Behind every statistic of war lies a human life, often a child. Numbers like “tens of thousands killed” or “millions displaced” dominate headlines, but they risk hiding the personal stories of pain, loss, and resilience. One 16-year-old girl from Kherson recalled being told no one would ever come for her after she was deported to Russia. She feared she had been abandoned until she was finally reunited with her family.
A new Return Every Child report, published by War Child UK, Save Ukraine, and the Human Security Centre, gives voice to children who escaped. Two hundred young survivors shared their experiences and their testimonies paint a horrifying picture.
These children describe being:
- Deported across borders against their will
- Brainwashed with pro-Russian propaganda
- Forced into adoption
- Subjected to torture, abuse, and sexual violence
- Trained militarily, with some even receiving draft papers at just 17
The report exposes what is now considered the largest, most systematic campaign of child rights violations in Europe since the Yugoslav wars. Russian authorities have tried to erase Ukrainian children’s identities, banning their language and cutting them off from their families.
According to Ukraine’s government, at least 19,546 children have been taken. Yet only 1,366 have made it back home. Charities like Save Ukraine have helped reunite more than 800 children with their families, but the challenges remain enormous. Access to information is blocked, and bureaucracy is weaponized to prevent returns.
While the International Criminal Court has already issued arrest warrants over these deportations, justice alone cannot protect children who are still missing. Time is critical.
More than half (55%) of the children interviewed were subjected to propaganda in classrooms, while over 40% were put through military drills. Many were told to forget Ukraine and pledge loyalty to Russia. The aim is clear turning stolen children into tools of war against their own homeland.
War Child UK has seen this pattern before in countries like Afghanistan and Sudan. If the world fails to act, Ukrainian children will continue to suffer trauma that could shape their lives forever.
Yet, amid the pain, stories of resilience shine through. One young man who returned from captivity described nightmares and loss of appetite after crossing back into Ukraine. With support, he recovered and now works to help other children come home.
But no child should have to endure such trauma in the first place.
The international community, especially governments like the UK, must take the lead in ensuring children’s rights are not sidelined. Silence is not an option. There are still a million children in occupied territories of Ukraine at risk of losing their identities, families, and futures.
Every child deserves protection. Every child deserves to return home. And we owe it to them to fight for their safe return every single one.
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