Condemning the deportation of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation and the forcible transfer of children within territories of Ukraine that are temporarily occupied by Russian forces.

Condemning the deportation of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation and the forcible transfer of children within territories of Ukraine that are temporarily occupied by Russian forces. Whereas, on January 12, 1951, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (commonly known as the Genocide Convention Whereas, on February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation launched an illegal and unprovoked further invasion of Ukraine; Whereas, on March 22, 2022, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced that the Russian military had forcefully and illegally kidnapped 2,389 Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine; Whereas forcibly transferring children of one group to another group is a violation of Article II(e) of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted and opened for signature in 1948 and entered into force in 1951 (commonly known as the Genocide Convention Whereas the unlawful deportation or transfer of people constitutes a breach of Article 147 of the Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, done at Geneva August 12, 1949 (commonly referred to as the Fourth Geneva Convention Whereas, Maria Lvova-Belova, Childrens Rights Commissioner for the President of Russia, admitted to kidnapping Ukrainian children and facilitating forced adoptions to Russian families; Whereas Ukrainian authorities have stated that a number of the kidnapped Ukrainian children have families who remain in Ukraine, but have been separated due to the Russian invasion; Whereas, on May 30, 2022, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, signed a decree simplifying the procedure of obtaining Russian citizenship for Ukrainian orphans and children without parental care, thereby expediting the process of illegal adoption of deported Ukrainian children by Russian families; Whereas, on June 2, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that 200,000 children are among the Ukrainians who have been forcefully resettled in Russia; Whereas, on June 16, 2022, Russian authorities announced that children born in occupied Ukrainian territories after the February 24, 2022, invasion will be deemed Russian citizens; Whereas, on July 11, 2022, United Nations Secretary General Antnio Guterres ordered an investigation into the deaths and injuries of Ukrainian children; Whereas, on July 13, 2022, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken issued a statement calling upon Russia to immediately halt its systemic filtration operations in Ukraine Whereas, on December 5, 2022, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, announced that at least 2,800,000 Ukrainians have been deported to Russia; Whereas, on March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued warrants of arrest, relating to the war crimes described in subsections (a)(vii) and (b)(viii) of section 2 of article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, for (1) Vladimir Putin, for (A) the unlawful deportation of population (children); and (B) the unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation; and (2) Maria Lvova-Belova, Presidential Commissioner for Childrens Rights in Russia, for (A) the unlawful deportation of population (children); and (B) the unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation; and Whereas, as of March 27, 2023, the official platform Children of War (1) at least 465 Ukrainian children have been killed and 942 Ukrainian children have been wounded since Russias renewed invasion of Ukraine began; and (2) there has been 16,207 verified cases of Ukrainian children being deported to Russia out of a possible 744,000 cases: Now, therefore, be it Whereas, on January 12, 1951, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (commonly known as the Genocide Convention Whereas, on February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation launched an illegal and unprovoked further invasion of Ukraine; Whereas, on March 22, 2022, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced that the Russian military had forcefully and illegally kidnapped 2,389 Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine; Whereas forcibly transferring children of one group to another group can constitute a violation of Article II(e) of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted and opened for signature in 1948 and entered into force in 1951 (commonly known as the Genocide Convention Whereas the unlawful deportation or transfer of protected people constitutes a breach of Article 147 of the Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, done at Geneva August 12, 1949 (commonly referred to as the Fourth Geneva Convention Whereas, Maria Lvova-Belova, Childrens Rights Commissioner for the President of Russia, admitted to kidnapping Ukrainian children and facilitating forced adoptions to Russian families; Whereas Ukrainian authorities have stated that a number of the kidnapped Ukrainian children have families who remain in Ukraine, but have been separated due to the Russian invasion; Whereas, on May 30, 2022, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, signed a decree simplifying the procedure of obtaining Russian citizenship for Ukrainian orphans and children without parental care, thereby expediting the process of illegal adoption of deported Ukrainian children by Russian families; Whereas, on June 2, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that 200,000 children are among the Ukrainians who have been forcefully resettled in Russia; Whereas on June 16, 2022, Russian authorities announced that children born in occupied Ukrainian territories after the February 24, 2022, invasion will be deemed Russian citizens; Whereas, on July 11, 2022, United Nations Secretary General Antnio Guterres ordered an investigation into the deaths and injuries of Ukrainian children; Whereas, on January 27, 2023, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, accused Russia of violating the fundamental principles of child protection Whereas, on July 13, 2022, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken issued a statement calling upon Russia to immediately halt its systemic filtration operations in Ukraine Whereas, on December 5, 2022, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, announced that at least 2,800,000 Ukrainians have been deported to Russia; Whereas on March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued warrants of arrest, relating to the war crimes described in subsections (a)(vii) and (b)(viii) of section 2 of article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, for (1) Vladimir Putin, for (A) the unlawful deportation of population (children); and (B) the unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation; and (2) Maria Lvova-Belova, Presidential Commissioner for Childrens Rights in Russia, for (A) the unlawful deportation of population (children); and (B) the unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation; and Whereas, as of June 1, 2023, the official platform Children of War (1) at least 484 Ukrainian children have been killed and 992 Ukrainian children have been wounded since Russias renewed invasion of Ukraine began; and (2) there has been 19,505 verified cases of Ukrainian children being deported to Russia: Now, therefore, be it That the Senate (1) holds the Government of the Russian Federation, under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, responsible for the wrongful and illegal kidnapping of children from Ukraine and officially condemns these actions in the strongest terms; (2) condemns (A) the forcible mass transfer of millions of Ukrainian civilians, hundreds of thousands of whom are children, to the Russian Federation or territories controlled by the Russian Federation; and (B) the facilitation of illegal adoptions, which could constitute a violation of Russias obligations under the Genocide Convention and amount to genocide; (3) claims that the Russian Federation is attempting to wipe out a generation of Ukrainian children, thereby crippling Ukraines ability to nurture the next generation of Ukrainian citizens and leaders and to rebuild their country after Russias unprovoked war, with the purpose of demolishing Ukraines unique language, culture, history, and identity; (4) asserts that the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has significantly increased the risks of children being exposed to human trafficking and exploitation, child labor, gender-based violence, hunger, injury, trauma, deprivation of education and shelter, and death; (5) urges the President to use all legal means necessary to hold accountable those responsible for the forcible deportation and displacement of children in Ukraine; (6) asserts that United States policy should involve assisting in reunification efforts between Ukrainian children deported or displaced by Russias ongoing invasion of Ukraine and their families; and (7) calls upon the President to impose sanctions on those responsible for the forcible deportation and displacement of Ukrainian children, including through the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act ( 22 U.S.C. 10101 et seq. June 13, 2023 Reported without amendment and an amendment to the preamble

Summary: This resolution states that the Senate holds the Russian government responsible for the illegal kidnapping of children from Ukraine and condemns these actions. The resolution also (1) declares that illegal adoptions are contrary to the Genocide Convention (the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide); (2) claims that Russia is attempting to wipe out a generation of Ukrainian children; and (3) asserts that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has increased the risks of children being exposed to human trafficking, exploitation, child labor, gender-based violence, hunger, injury, trauma, deprivation of education and shelter, and death.