WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 24, 2025) — The McCain Institute at Arizona State University, together with the Foley Foundation, the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign, the Human Rights Foundation, and the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, has submitted the case of more than 20,000 abducted Ukrainian children to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD).
“The abduction and forced assimilation of Ukrainian children is not only a war crime—it is part of a deliberate geopolitical strategy to erase Ukraine’s future,” said McCain Institute Executive Director Dr. Evelyn Farkas. “Through this submission, we are calling on the international community to treat these children not as casualties of war, but as victims of a state-sponsored system of arbitrary detention. The United States, Europe, and our allies must make the recovery of these children a core priority of our Ukraine policy and ensure that Russia’s crimes are met with accountability and consequences.”
One of the cruelest casualties of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine has been the forcible abduction, deportation, and modern-day version of Russification of Ukrainian children. Russia has systematically deported Ukrainian children to a series of camps, orphanages, re-education facilities, and foster families – often under the pretext of humanitarian evacuations or rehabilitation. In reality, these children are condemned to a kind of prison.
The impacted children range from infants to 17-year-olds, all of whom have no means to escape their captivity, no authentic travel documents or proof of their true identity, and no ability to care for themselves. There are deeply concerning reports of these children being militarized, meaning that the children abducted from Ukraine may one day be forced to fight for Russia in its campaign of aggression against their home country. Moreover, many believe the official estimate of 20,000 Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia and other Russia-occupied areas could be significantly underestimated.
“These abducted children are living evidence of one of the gravest breaches of international law in modern times,” said Pedro Pizano, Director of the John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative at the McCain Institute. “Recognizing their status as arbitrarily detained is not just a legal distinction – it is a moral and strategic imperative. International law demands that victims of unlawful detention be returned, rehabilitated, and reunited with their families. We will continue to advocate for mechanisms of accountability, restitution, and, most importantly, the recovery and safe repatriation of these children.”
Despite pressure from the international community and numerous findings of violations of international law and standards, Russia has refused to return these children to their families. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant in 2023 for Russian President Vladimir Putin based on the war crime of illegally deporting Ukrainian children. Yet, these children have not been legally defined as arbitrarily detained and therefore do not have the legal standing that comes with such a designation.
The UNWGAD has a mandate to investigate cases of arbitrary detention and, thus, the authority to inquire into the deportation of Ukrainian children and to take action to secure their safe and immediate release.
“The facts are clear: thousands of Ukrainian children have been torn from their homes and families against their will by Russian actors. No matter how the Putin regime tries to justify these abductions and illegal detentions, they flout international human rights and humanitarian law in egregious ways,” said Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, President of the Lantos Foundation. “We acknowledge that this is an extraordinary request – to name a class of 20,000 children as arbitrarily detained – but this is an extraordinary circumstance. It is time to acknowledge that these children are, indeed, arbitrarily detained and to exert more pressure on Russia to return them. It is reprehensible for children to be used as pawns in this conflict, and these tactics must come to an end.”
About the John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative
The McCain Institute’s John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative (FPPI) provides vital support to Americans and green card holders who are held overseas as political prisoners or hostages, as well as dissidents, political prisoners, and hostages from other nations who are held by repressive regimes. Inspired by Senator John McCain’s experience as a prisoner of war for over five years, this initiative provides outreach to key decision-makers at the highest level of the U.S. government, direct assistance from expert practitioners, strategic communications to galvanize ongoing support for the release of prisoners, and post-return support to help individuals reacclimate after their detainment. Learn more HERE.