On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian president Vladimir Putin initiated the war with the baseless claim that Ukraine needed to be “demilitarised and de-Nazified,” using this as an excuse to seize territory from a sovereign nation.

This aggressive act has evolved into the largest ground war in Europe since World War II, causing thousands of deaths, devastating millions of lives, and involving atrocities such as the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children by Russian authorities.

The war has also intensified the suppression of civil society within Russia, with war critics facing prosecution, imprisonment, and forced exile.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, one of the aims of the Russian invasion has been to capture and russify large numbers of Ukrainian citizens. This has led to the illegal deportation of nearly 20,000 children to Russia, and this number continues to rise.

The deportation process involves various methods, including collecting unaccompanied children from the frontline or occupied Ukrainian territories, persuading parents or relatives to send children to Russian recreational centres, and subsequently keeping them for longer periods or transporting them elsewhere without explicit permission from Ukrainian authorities or their legal guardians. Despite Russia’s claims of these actions being evacuations, independent investigations have found no justifications based on safety reasons.

In Russia, the children face abusive russification and assimilation processes aimed at erasing their Ukrainian identity, denying them access to education in Ukrainian, and exposing them to Russian propaganda.

Getting Ukrainian children taken to Russia reunited with their families is extremely challenging. Since Ukrainian men of military age cannot leave the country during the war, it is usually the women making this journey. They cannot travel directly across the Ukrainian-Russian border, so they must take a long detour through other countries. Families trying to retrieve their children risk arrest and interrogation along the way.

Ukrainian charities often provide logistical and financial support to help cover the costs, as returning one child averages around $1,200 in travel, logistics, translations, and a dedicated case worker expenses.

The Ukrainian government has initiated numerous efforts to facilitate the return of abducted children; however, due to Russia’s unwillingness to cooperate, the majority of them remain in Russia.

On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova. The ICC has accused Putin and Lvova-Belova of unlawfully deporting children from Ukraine to Russia, which constitutes war crimes. Although Russia denies these allegations and is not a member of the ICC, this move carries symbolic importance as it represents global condemnation of the alleged crimes committed during the war in Ukraine.

The warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) serves as a symbolic step toward holding the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova accountable for their alleged war crimes. Additionally, it limits their freedom to travel to ICC member states, as there is a risk of arrest upon entry. For instance, this pressure led Putin to refrain from attending a summit of BRICS countries in South Africa.

However, in light of Russia’s non-recognition of the ICC and its policy of not extraditing citizens, the likelihood of Putin or Lvova-Belova facing trial in the near future remains remote.

We partner with the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, which has been instrumental in reuniting Veronika and many other children with their families. Click here to take action and help abducted Ukrainian children reunite with their families.

The children who have been returned often come back traumatised and receive comprehensive support, including social, psychological, medical, and educational assistance, to help them reintegrate into society. The Ukrainian Child Rights Network plays a crucial role in providing these services.

Additionally, the animal therapy retreat featured in the film offers psychological support through healing with nature and animals. Located in Karepa, Estonia, the retreat, deep in a forest by the Baltic Sea, offers a tranquil environment to facilitate the healing process for children and their families. Dedicated counsellors at the retreat work to ensure the children receive the care they need. The Estonian Association of Assistance and Therapy Dogs runs the retreat and more information about their work can be found here.