Russia has kidnapped nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children to erase their cultural identity and heritage
Washington, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) joined a bipartisan group of senators in introducing a resolution calling for the return of abducted Ukrainian children before any peace agreement is finalized ending the war against Ukraine.
The resolution condemns Russia’s abduction and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children and notes Russia’s invasion has increasingly exposed children to human trafficking and exploitation, child labor, sexual violence, hunger, injury, trauma and death.
“It is unthinkable that innocent children are being used as pawns in Putin’s unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine,” said Senator Fetterman. “I will always stand in lockstep with our ally Ukraine and fight to secure its freedom and safety. That includes advocating for the unconditional release of all the children abducted into Russia over the course of this war. We won’t rest until they are safely home in their families’ arms.”
The resolution was led by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and cosponsored by Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Rick Scott (R-FL).
“Putin’s inhumane and unprovoked attack on Ukraine started the largest war in Europe since World War II,” said Senator Grassley. “He has kidnapped thousands of children to brainwash and Russify them in an attempt to destroy their cultural identity and heritage. The United States ought to demand these children are returned before inking a deal to end the war in Ukraine.”
“The mass kidnapping of Ukrainian children by Russia is an atrocity,” said Senator Klobuchar. “We cannot accept a world where children are abducted during wartime and used as a form of hostage-taking for negotiations. These children must be returned unconditionally before any peace deal is finalized.”
Organizations endorsing the resolution include: World Relief, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (Southern Baptist Convention), Christian Life Commission & Center for Cultural Engagement (Texas Baptists), Peace & Power Ukraine Host Gary Marx, National Association of Evangelicals and Lifeline Children’s Services.
The resolution follows an April letter sent by forty religious leaders to President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling for the return of the nearly 20,000 children forcibly transferred to Russia and Russian-controlled territories.
Ukrainian authorities have received at least 19,546 confirmed reports of unlawful deportations and forced transfers of Ukrainian children to Russia, Belarus or Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. The abductions aim to erase the children’s Ukrainian names, language and identity. As of April 16, Ukraine and its partners have only managed to return 1,274 abducted children.
The State Department’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report found Russia recruits or uses child soldiers, has a state-sponsored policy or pattern of human trafficking and is among the worst hubs for human trafficking in the world.
The full text of the resolution is available here.
