Russia's Vladimir Putin Is Stealing Ukraine's Children. What Can We Do?

The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin's arrest over his regime's forcible deporting of Ukrainians—especially children—to Russia. His troops have long been separating families and detaining anyone in the occupied territories suspected of pro-Ukrainian sentiments.

In early November, Russia forced the evacuation of residents from at least six municipal regions of Kherson Oblast totaling thousands of Ukrainian citizens. Those children who remain in occupied territories are forced to learn from Russian textbooks and are subjected to Russian military training.

A report by Yale University researchers published Feb. 14 reveals that the Russian government is operating a systematic network of at least 43 custody centers for the re-education and adoption of at least 6,000 Ukrainian children across Russian-occupied Crimea and Russia.

This, along with other crimes against humanity in occupied Ukraine at the hands of Russian soldiers and security officials meets the standard for genocide against the Ukrainian people, as defined by the United Nations.