Congress Tackles Russia’s Abduction of Ukrainian Children

Official figures show Russia has forcibly deported about 20,000 Ukrainian children. Another 1.6 million remain under Russian occupation, many drafted into the Russian army.

On March 25th, a hearing of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, organized with the help of the American Coalition for Ukraine, put a spotlight on Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children. U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, a Democrat from Massachusetts and Co-Chair of the Commission, said the main goal is to help Congress understand the scope and scale of Russia’s crimes.

“Each of these numbers represents a young person suffering terrible psychological trauma,” he said. “We have reports of Ukrainian children being adopted by Russian families of Russians indoctrinating Ukrainian youth with ideological training, paramilitary drills, and religious instruction, and of separated families being forced to organize their own efforts to find one another.”

Katya Pavlevych, Policy Advisor for Razom for Ukraine and the American Coalition for Ukraine, showed a photo at the hearing of two small children, a boy and a girl, seen from behind.

“This is the photo of a 6-year-old Milana and a 4-year-old Makar. The kids’ names have been changed, who were brought back just recently to their mother after spending three years in abduction. The boy was abducted when he was 10 months old,” she said.

Other witnesses included David M. Crane, founding chief prosecutor of the UN Special Court for Sierra Leone, Amb. David Scheffer, former U.S. war crimes ambassador, and Inna Liniova from the Ukrainian Bar Association. 

“It is inconceivable that a war of aggression like that conducted by Russia against Ukraine for more than four years would escape accountability under principles of international law and international criminal law,” said Scheffer. “If the leading perpetrators of the crime of aggression against Ukraine face no accountability, then there will be little prospect of this international crime being enforced in the future.”

20,000 children abducted. Another 1.6 million live under Russian occupation

According to official data provided by the Ukrainian authorities, Russia has abducted 20,000 children. Ukraine has managed to return only 2,000. Most were brought back through complex and often dangerous rescue operations, not through cooperation or goodwill on Russia’s part.

The involvement of the U.S. First Lady, Melania Trump, has helped return 20 Ukrainian children home, including those abducted from a children’s home in Kherson in 2022. Among them are two kids whose photos Katya Pavlevych brought to Congress.

But there is an even larger—and far more alarming—number: more than 1.6 million children remain in territories occupied by Russia. All of them are potential victims of Russia’s war machine, according to Pavlevych.

“They are drafted into the Russian army and turned into Russian soldiers. The militarization of Ukrainian children is not just the largest act of human rights violations; it’s a national security threat to America and NATO. 400,000 Ukrainian children have already been militarized. How many will be in five years? If we do not save these children, we’ll end up fighting them,” she said. 

Advocacy in Action: Nova Ukraine Pushes State Legislation on Abducted Children

Last year, Nova Ukraine’s advocacy team, led by Aleksandr Krapivkin, launched a major campaign to advance state-level legislation condemning Russia’s crimes against Ukrainian children. The first state to introduce such a resolution was Wisconsin.

On November 18, the Wisconsin State Senate unanimously passed Joint Resolution 103, condemning the actions of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, including the illegal abduction and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia.

It marked the first time such a resolution was introduced at the state level in the United States. While a similar resolution had passed at the federal level, Wisconsin became the first state to take action. This initiative signals a growing movement across the U.S. to recognize and respond to Russia’s war crimes against children. 

Today, similar legislative efforts are underway at the state level in Vermont, Maryland, and Arizona.

“When we initiated the resolution in Wisconsin, our broader goal – one could even say our dream – was to launch this across all states, one by one. It has only been three months since the resolution passed in Wisconsin, and we are already seeing several other states showing interest in introducing similar measures, ” said Krapivkin.

What More Can Be Done: Congress, the President, and Every American

At the Lantos Commission hearing, Pavlevych outlined two immediate steps U.S. policymakers can take.

First, she said Russia’s abduction of children is a state-run operation, funded by oil revenues. Sanctions should be strengthened, not eased. The U.S. holds frozen Russian assets that could help support abducted Ukrainian children, without costing American taxpayers.

Second, as President Trump negotiates with Vladimir Putin, the return of abducted children must remain non-negotiable.

Every American can take action. Call your members of Congress and demand tougher sanctions. Urge your community to join the movement. Together, we can help bring abducted Ukrainian children home. Don’t be a bystander. Act today.