[Delivered in French]
The Russian Federation’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine is in its fifth year. Russia’s illegal occupation of parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions is now in its fifth year, while its illegal occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions is in its thirteenth year. There continue to be reports of large-scale violations and abuses of international human rights law (IHRL) and international humanitarian law (IHL), many of which may amount to the most serious international crimes.
Against this backdrop, we are profoundly alarmed by credible and mounting reports that the Russian Federation is systematically subjecting Ukrainian children – especially those staying in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and those forcibly transferred to such territories or unlawfully deported to Russia – to militarization, indoctrination, coercion, and other repressive practices aimed at, inter alia, erasing Ukrainian identity and compelling loyalty to the occupying power.
We recall that OSCE participating States, following bilateral consultations with Ukraine under the Vienna (Human Dimension) Mechanism, have invoked Paragraph 8 of the Moscow (Human Dimension) Mechanism five times in response to Russia’s aggression. Since 2022, Moscow Mechanism missions have documented violations of IHL and IHRL and identified patterns of serious international crimes. Notably, in 2023, a dedicated Moscow Mechanism mission reported on the forcible transfer and/or unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation, including their exposure to assimilationist policies and “military education”.
We note, inter alia, that Ukraine, the UN and civil society organizations continue to document the unlawful deportation and/or forcible transfer of children and the severe harm inflicted on them. As of 23 March 2026, Ukraine’s official “Children of War” platform reports, among other figures, 20,000 children “deported and/or forcibly displaced” (Bring Kids Back UA figure), alongside other verified child-casualty and missing-person data.
In its latest report, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluded that the Russian authorities had committed acts “amounting to crimes against humanity and war crimes of deportation and forcible transfer of children” on the basis of compelling evidence concerning the deportation and transfer of a total of 1205 children from five oblasts in Ukraine.
Building upon findings by previous Moscow Mechanism missions, as well as other credible reports, we are now confronted with a distinct and urgent human dimension question the protection of Ukrainian children under occupation and/or in armed conflict against unlawful deportation, forced assimilation, re-education, militarisation, indoctrination, coercive propaganda, intimidation, and violence.
“Credible open-source research has mapped an extensive infrastructure supporting these practices. For example, the Yale School of Public Health Humanitarian Research Lab reported in September 2025 that children from Ukraine have been taken to at least 210 facilities in Russia and temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, describing patterns of “re-education” and militarization.
In addition to indoctrination and militarization, we underline our deep concern that Russia’s conduct towards Ukrainian children includes pressure, repression, illegal adoptions, and exposure to psychological and physical violence, especially in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and during forcible transfer or unlawful deportation.
These acts strike at the very core of OSCE commitments and the international legal framework protecting children, including participating States’ obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
Gravely concerned by these developments, the delegations of
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, The Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, following consultations with Ukraine under the Vienna (Human Dimension) Mechanism, hereby invoke the OSCE Moscow (Human Dimension) Mechanism under Paragraph 8 of that document.
We request that ODIHR inquire of Ukraine whether it would invite a mission of experts to build upon previous findings and to
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Establish the facts and circumstances surrounding possible contraventions of relevant OSCE commitments, and violations and abuses of IHRL and IHL, related to the militarization and indoctrination of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation, including in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and including in the context of forcible transfer and/or unlawful deportation;
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Collect, consolidate and analyse information on these practices, including patterns of coercion, intimidation, repression, unlawful deprivation of liberty, illegal adoptions, ill-treatment, and other forms of violence affecting children;
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Further collect, consolidate and analyse information on the legislative framework adopted by Russia for this purpose, and the school curricula imposed on Ukrainian children in the temporarily occupied territories;
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Assess whether such practices indicate a coordinated and systematic policy aimed, inter alia, at erasing Ukrainian identity of children, including through their illegal adoptions as well as alteration of their nationality, and conditioning children for service to the occupying power;
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Assess the impact of these practices on the rights of Ukrainian children, including the rights to life and development, health, education, family life, equality and non-discrimination, and protection from all forms of violence, and provide recommendations on urgent protective measures, prevention, and accountability pathways;
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Offer recommendations on relevant accountability mechanisms, including how OSCE participating States and OSCE institutions can support documentation, child protection, return and reintegration efforts, and international co-operation to end impunity for crimes against children.
We also invite ODIHR to provide any relevant information or documentation derived from any new expert mission to other appropriate accountability mechanisms, as well as national, regional, or international courts or tribunals that have, or may in future have, jurisdiction.
Russia’s refusal to co-operate with OSCE human dimension mechanisms in relation to Ukraine has been a persistent feature of previous missions. We nevertheless affirm that the Moscow Mechanism was adopted by consensus by all participating States and remains a vital OSCE instrument to establish facts, identify patterns, and issue recommendations to participating States when serious human dimension concerns arise.