The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) condemned the forcible transfer of Ukrainian children and civilians to Russia and the temporarily occupied territories and called on Council of Europe member states to facilitate the safe return of deportees to Ukraine.

The relevant resolution "Deportations and forcible transfers of Ukrainian children and other civilians to Russian Federation or to Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied: create conditions for their safe return, stop these crimes and punish the perpetrators" was adopted by the Assembly at the plenary session of the spring session in Strasbourg on Thursday.

PACE called for urgent action to bring to justice those responsible for the forced deportation of children and the civilian population of Ukraine.

According to the resolution, The practice of unlawful deportations of Ukrainians to the Russian Federation from the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions had started before the Russian Federation’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine of 24 February 2022, aking the form of deportation to the Russian Federation of children from orphanages and of children with disabilities from specialised institutions.

As of the middle of April 2023, according to the government of Ukraine, more than 19,384 children have been deported to the Russian Federation, of which only 361 children have returned home.

PACE also approved the recommendations.

"The repatriation of children, their rehabilitation, and the creation of conditions for family reunification to preserve the identity of the children of Ukraine must now be a priority for the Council of Europe member States," the PACE said in its recommendations.

The Assembly supports the recommendations of the Commissioner for Human Rights on the urgent need to identify and use concrete mechanisms and solutions for the reunification of all children displaced from Ukraine to Russia and the temporarily occupied territories with their families. PACE also called on the Committee of Ministers to assist Ukraine in this process.

The Assembly welcomes the initiatives of the Committee of Ministers for the Council of Europe to contribute to establishing the responsibility of the Russian Federation for the aggression against Ukraine, bringing to justice all those responsible for the deportations and forced displacements of Ukrainian citizens, ensuring justice for the victims, including the creation of a register in which evidence and claims of damages will be recorded, losses or injuries as a result of Russian aggression.

The Assembly also calls on the Committee of Ministers to provide effective protection to vulnerable migrants and refugees, especially women and children who have fled Ukraine because of the war.