More than 2.4 thousand children from Ukraine were taken to Belarus, – Yale University study

Yale University counted the number of Ukrainian children taken to Belarus / Collage 24 Channel

Yale University determined the number of children whom Russia illegally transported to the territory of Belarus since the beginning of the invasion. According to preliminary estimates, this value could reach more than 2.4 thousand Ukrainian minors.

These were children from six to 17 years old. The researchers themselves noted that this is a minimum estimate, and the real number of deported children could be much higher.

2.4 thousand Ukrainian children could end up in Belarus

The US-funded Humanitarian Research Laboratory at the Yale School of Public Health has released findings that provide the most detailed evidence to date of Belarus' involvement in the deportation of Ukrainian children.

According to the study, from September 2022 to May 2023, minors were resettled from at least 17 cities in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. More than 2 thousand children were transported to the Dubrava children's camp near Minsk, and another 392 people were placed in 12 other Belarusian institutions. These children are reported to have undergone retraining and military training.

The report notes that transport costs were approved by Alexander Lukashenko for public funds. However, the current whereabouts of these children remain unknown.

In response to accusations of involvement in this crime, Russia has consistently denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that it provided humanitarian assistance only to those who voluntarily wished to leave Ukraine. Despite attempts to obtain clarification, the agency’s requests to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry and the press service of the Russian Children’s Ombudsman remained unanswered.

Russia deports children from occupied territories

• Since the start of the full-scale war, Russia has ruthlessly deported Ukrainian children and is not afraid to speak publicly about its war crimes. After all, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant in March 2023 for Vladimir Putin and children's ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova for kidnapping Ukrainian children.
• In the end, the European Parliament recognized the self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko as an accomplice of Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Parliament adopted a resolution containing a section on the abduction of Ukrainian children to Belarus.
• The Office of the Prosecutor General emphasized that as of November 16, 19,546 illegally displaced children were identified. The largest number of children were taken from the territory of the Donetsk region – 13.6 thousand.