IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 304 

Commending the International Criminal Court’s issuance of an arrest warrant 

for Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, and Maria 

Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the 

President of the Russian Federation, for two war crimes related to 

the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children from occupied areas of 

Ukraine to the Russian Federation. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 18, 2023 

Mr. KEATING (for himself, Mr. QUIGLEY, Ms. KAPTUR, and Mr. 

FITZPATRICK) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Commending the International Criminal Court’s issuance of 

an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, President of the 

Russian Federation, and Maria Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, for two war crimes related to the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children 

from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation. 

Whereas, on March 17, 2023, the International Criminal 

Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin, 

President of the Russian Federation, and Maria LvovaBelova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office 


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of the President of the Russian Federation, for committing two war crimes related to the forcible deportation of 

Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation, stating 

that the Court believes that ‘‘each suspect bears responsibility’’ for these war crimes; 

Whereas, on February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation at 

the direction of Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine; 

Whereas, in November 2022, Amnesty International published a report which documented the forcible deportation 

of Ukrainian civilians, including children, by Russian 

forces and their proxies into Russia; 

Whereas the Russian Federation has amended its domestic 

legislation to enable the swift placement and adoption of 

these forcibly deported children with Russian foster families while issuing said children Russian citizenship; 

Whereas the United Nations Human Rights Council 

(UNHRC) issued a report on March 16, 2023, which 

found that the Russian Federation has committed war 

crimes, including forcibly deporting children from occupied territories in Ukraine to the Russian Federation, 

since February 24, 2022; 

Whereas the March 2023 UNHRC report stated that ‘‘International humanitarian law prohibits the evacuation of 

children by a party to the armed conflict, with the exception of a temporary evacuation . . . [for] reasons relating 

to the health or medical treatment . . . The written consent of parents or legal guardians is required . . . The 

transfers were not justified by safety or medical reasons’’; 


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Whereas the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian 

Research Lab found that Russian adoption facilities are 

engaging in systematic ‘‘re-education’’ efforts that expose 

children from Ukraine to Russia-centric academic, cultural, patriotic, and military education, and multiple facilities are advertised as ‘‘integration programs’’ with the 

apparent goal of integrating children from Ukraine into 

the Russian Government’s vision of national culture, history, and society; 

Whereas the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian 

Research Lab also verified that thousands of Ukrainian 

children, some only toddlers, have been victims of this 

forcible deportation to Russia and that many of these 

children are being held in 43 camps across Russian Federation territory, including two camps in Siberia; 

Whereas the 117th Congress passed legislation directing the 

United States to assist with ‘‘investigations and prosecutions of foreign nationals related to the situation in 

Ukraine, including to support victims and witnesses’’; 

and 

Whereas President Zelenskyy of Ukraine has thanked the 

ICC for its ‘‘historic’’ decision to issue arrest warrants 

for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, stating that 

‘‘in the criminal proceeding being investigated by 

[Ukraine’s] law enforcement officers, more than 16,000 

forced deportations of Ukrainian children by the occupier 

have already been recorded. But the real, full number of 

deportees may be much higher’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) denounces the Russian Federation’s full3 scale invasion of Ukraine and calls on the Russian 


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1 Federation to immediately withdraw all forces from 

2 the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine; 

3 (2) stands outraged by actions taken by Rus4 sian Armed Forces, Government, and their proxies 

5 to remove Ukrainian children from their homes and 

6 forcibly integrate them into Russian society; 

7 (3) condemns the ongoing, unlawful, and sys8 tematic deportation, forcible transfer, and ‘‘re-edu9 cation’’ of Ukrainian children from occupied terri10 tories of Ukraine to the Russian Federation and 

11 within occupied territories of Ukraine under the di12 rection of Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova; 

13 (4) recognizes the devastating psychological, in14 tergenerational harm and trauma caused to Ukrain15 ian parents, families, and communities by the forc16 ible removal of their children and to the Ukrainian 

17 children separated from their families and commu18 nities; 

19 (5) supports the decision of the International 

20 Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for Vladimir 

21 Putin, President of the Russian Federation, and 

22 Maria Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children’s 

23 Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian 

24 Federation, for committing war crimes related to the 

25 unlawful deportation of children from occupied areas 


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1 of Ukraine to the Russian Federation and within oc2 cupied territories of Ukraine; 

3 (6) calls for the Russian Federation to imme4 diately reveal any existing records of the deportation 

5 of children and adoption of deported children to 

6 Ukrainian authorities; 

7 (7) calls for the Russian Federation to imme8 diately return all deported Ukrainian children back 

9 to their homes in Ukraine so they can be reunited 

10 with their families and communities; 

11 (8) condemns the Russian Federation for all 

12 atrocity crimes and the gross violations of human 

13 rights it has committed in Ukraine such as targeting 

14 civilians, destroying critical civilian infrastructure re15 lated to energy and health care, and using torture 

16 and sexual violence as weapons of war; and 

17 (9) calls on President Biden to direct all de18 partments and agencies to support the International 

19 Criminal Court’s investigation and prosecution of 

20 atrocity crimes committed in Ukraine, including 

21 those related to the Russian Federation’s unlawful 

22 transfer and deportation of children. 

Æ 


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