Two years ago, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova for the illegal deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children. It was the first step on the long road to justice and international recognition that the world sees and condemns Russia's crimes.

Today, over 1.6 million Ukrainian children remain in occupied territories or on Russian soil, with tens of thousands officially recognized as deported or forcibly transferred. The Kremlin is systematically transforming these children into future tools of aggression and war resources, erasing their Ukrainian identity, imposing Russian regime ideology, and militarising them. Every day, Russia commits numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity against Ukrainian children, as defined by the Rome Statute.

Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are actively investigating cases beyond just Russia's top leadership. Prosecutors have already charged two Russian citizens close to Putin who kidnapped and illegally adopted 10-month-old Margarita Prokopenko from Kherson, changing her name to conceal their crime.

Ukraine and its international partners are now fighting for justice at every level, using legal, diplomatic, and political tools to return children home, prosecute war criminals, and establish a special tribunal for the crime of aggression.

The issue of Ukrainian children must remain central to the international community’s attention and be among the key topics in future peace negotiations. No peace can be just as long as Ukrainian children remain in the hands of the aggressor. Ukraine will continue its fight until every child returns home. No exceptions. No conditions.

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