Minister Vereshchuk: Russian officials to be held accountable for unlawful deportation of children

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister - Temporary Occupied Territories Reintegration Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, an Ukrinform correspondent reports, referring to the ministry’s press service.

“I am frankly shocked by the behavior of Russian officials. It turns out that simply committing a crime is not enough for them. They are boldly boasting of this. I think it’s some kind of perversion to show your villainy to the whole world. But, all this will not go unpunished,” Vereshchuk emphasized.

In her words, the Ukrainian side repeatedly demanded that Russia return orphaned children. Nevertheless, Russians are preventing the deported children from being returned. Instead, the Russian commissioner for children’s rights demonstratively adopted an orphan boy who had been illegally deported from Ukraine.

A reminder that, on March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Putin and Russian children’s rights commissioner Lvova-Belova, who are suspected of being involved in the war crimes committed within the territory of Ukraine, namely the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.