The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution demanding that Russia immediately return Ukrainian children
91 countries in favour – 12 against – 57 abstentions
By Ivan Dyakonov
Ukrainskaya Pravda (04.12.2025) – The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution by a majority of votes that requires the Russian Federation to immediately and without any prerequisites return all illegally deported Ukrainian children: “The General Assembly… demands that the Russian Federation ensure the immediate, safe and unconditional return of Ukrainian children who have been illegally displaced or deported; calls on the Russian Federation to immediately cease any further practice of forced displacement, deportation, separation of children from families and legal guardians, change of personal status, including through citizenship, adoption or placement in foster families and indoctrination of Ukrainian children”.
The document was supported by 91 countries. 12 states voted against, another 57 abstained. In addition to Russia itself, Belarus, Iran, Nicaragua, Cuba, Eritrea, Mali and several other states voted against the resolution. 57 states abstained in the vote. Among them are China, India, Brazil, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Qatar and Pakistan.
As Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mariana Betsa explained during the presentation of the document, this resolution does not concern politics, but exclusively humanity and moral duty of the international community. She stressed that the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine made children a vulnerable target of aggression. According to the diplomat, Russia not only kills and maims children, but also tries to erase their identity.
Betsa stressed that in the occupied territories and in Russia, Ukrainian children are forbidden their native language, literature and history, and in return they impose hostile propaganda. Children are forced to repeat fakes about the “Nazi state”, and also attracted to the so-called “children’s armies” where they are subjected to “military training and ideological processing”.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, today Russia has deported at least 20 thousand Ukrainian children. Ukraine has managed to return home only 1850 of them so far. UN General Assembly President Annalena Burbock noted during the consideration of the project that the deportation of children is a gross violation of international humanitarian law.
She recalled that article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibited the forced displacement of civilians from the occupied territories under any circumstances. The Convention on the Rights of the Child also guarantees the right of every child to identity, family life, citizenship and protection from kidnapping.
Burbock stressed that the issue of the return of children cannot be considered separately from the fact of the Russian invasion. She noted that the General Assembly acts consistently in conditions when the UN Security Council remains unable to make decisions because of the position of the Russian Federation.
“The 11th emergency special session decides in the name of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, to protect the international order, the Ukrainian people and the most vulnerable among them – children,” Burbock said. Diplomats noted that support for the resolution was a voice for international law and justice, as it created tools for abducted children to live back in their native land.
Published by https://hrwf.eu
