Verbatim report of proceedings

Wednesday, 13 March 2024 - Strasbourg

3. Need to address the urgent concerns surrounding Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia (debate)

  President. – The next item is the debate on Council and Commission statements on the need to address the urgent concerns surrounding Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia (2024/2620(RSP)).

  Hadja Lahbib, Présidente en exercice du Conseil. – Madame la Présidente, honorables parlementaires, chers membres de la Commission, chère Commissaire, chère Natalia, le Conseil européen a insisté, il y a un an déjà, sur le fait que la Russie doit assurer le retour en toute sécurité des Ukrainiens transférés de force ou déportés en Russie, en particulier les enfants. Je peux vous assurer que le Conseil reste fermement engagé dans la lutte contre l’impunité pour les crimes internationaux commis dans le cadre de la guerre d’agression contre l’Ukraine, y compris, bien entendu, les crimes commis contre les personnes particulièrement vulnérables que sont les enfants.

Les ministres de la justice réunis au sein du Conseil ont évoqué cette question des enfants transférés de force il y a dix jours, lors d’une discussion sur la lutte contre l’impunité à laquelle participait le procureur général ukrainien Andriy Kostin. Les ministres et le procureur général ukrainiens ont rappelé que la lutte contre l’impunité était un effort de longue haleine, et qu’il faut mener ce combat sans relâche. La tâche est immense, vu l’ampleur et le nombre de crimes commis.

Les efforts déployés par le Conseil et les par États membres prennent plusieurs formes. Je ne vais pas tous les passer en revue, mais je voudrais tout de même insister sur quelques aspects particulièrement importants. Tout d’abord, je veux rappeler que de nombreux États membres ont ouvert des enquêtes pour crimes de guerre au niveau national. Les autorités judiciaires de sept États membres se sont associées aux autorités ukrainiennes dans une équipe commune d’enquête soutenue par Eurojust. Grâce à une législation adoptée en un temps record par les colégislateurs, Eurojust a mis sur pied une banque de données contenant les éléments de preuve portant sur ces crimes internationaux. C’est la toute première fois, tous les secteurs de criminalité confondus, qu’une telle banque de données existe. Eurojust héberge aussi le Centre international pour la poursuite du crime d’agression contre l’Ukraine, qui est elle aussi unique en son genre. Les États membres apportent également leur soutien à l’Ukraine et à la Cour pénale internationale pour leur permettre de continuer leurs efforts, que ce soit au niveau financier ou de par leur expertise, médico-légale par exemple.

C’est durant la discussion au Conseil, il y a dix jours, que le procureur général ukrainien et les ministres de la justice des États membres ont appris la délivrance par la Cour pénale internationale de deux nouveaux mandats d’arrêt, cette fois en lien avec les frappes de missiles par les forces russes. Ces deux mandats d’arrêt s’ajoutent à ceux émis il y a un an à l’encontre du président Vladimir Poutine et de la commissaire russe aux droits de l’enfant, qui portent spécifiquement sur la déportation et les transferts d’enfants.

Après une phase où il fallait créer de nouveaux outils et de nouvelles structures, ce que nous avons fait ensemble, une grande partie des efforts est maintenant accomplie par les autorités judiciaires nationales et internationales. Le Conseil continuera bien sûr de soutenir les efforts pour lutter contre l’impunité pour les crimes commis en Ukraine.

  Dubravka Šuica, Vice-President of the Commission. – Madam President, dear friends from Ukraine, dear honourable Members, dear minister, a generation of Ukrainian children has experienced more than a year of fear, loss, tragedy and violence. They had to leave life as they know it behind them.

Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine is having a devastating effect on all Ukrainians, but especially on children. The European Union is not silent in light of Russia’s unlawful deportation or transfer of Ukrainian children. This is a terrible crime inflicting unimaginable suffering. The perpetrators of these crimes must be held accountable.

These children must return to their families and to their communities. To achieve this, the European Union fully supports a number of different initiatives. The European Union participates in the Ukrainian initiative to bring kids back to Ukraine, supported by President Zelenskyy’s office. This initiative will unite the efforts of the Ukrainian authorities, foreign governments and international organisations and works on returns, on accountability and on prevention.

In Kyiv, the European Union is part of the Group of Friends on Children and Armed Conflict in Ukraine with other foreign missions. The European Union will also continue to support and engage with the UN’s children and armed conflict mandate, and welcomes Russia being included in the ‘list of shame’ for the first time this year.

We welcome the launch of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children on 3 February this year. The European Union will continue to follow the work of the coalition closely and is currently assessing how it can best support the coalition and its activities.

The European Union is also fully committed to take all necessary efforts to ensure that those responsible for the crime of unlawful deportation or transfer of Ukrainian children are held accountable.

Seventeen Member States have so far opened investigations into international crimes committed in Ukraine, and the European Union is supporting these national investigations through strengthening judicial cooperation via Eurojust.

Six Member States and Ukraine are members of the joint investigation team, to which the ICC and Europol are participants. In this vein, we warmly welcome and support the issuing of arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court.

The fact that the court singled out the acts of unlawful force, deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children as the war crimes as a base for the first arrest warrant since the start of Russian invasion illustrates both the urgency and severity rightly attached to the issue.

The European Union has so far supported the ICC with over EUR 10 million since the beginning of the invasion. The court is a key actor for consistency and enforcement of the international criminal justice system. The European Union has been and continues to support the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine to strengthen its capacities to investigate and prosecute international crimes committed in Ukraine. This also includes support for the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group together with the US and the UK.

We have financed the IT advancement of the Prosecutor General’s Office with EUR 4 million. We are furthermore dedicated to support national investigations opened into international crimes committed in Ukraine.

In addition, the European Union is committed to improving the coordination of various support efforts to the Prosecutor General’s Office through the international platform of the dialogue group.

Dear Members, I look forward to today’s exchange.

  Rasa Juknevičienė, on behalf of the PPE Group. – Madam President, dear colleagues, dear brave Ukrainian girl, Valeriia, to date, around 20 000 Ukrainian children have been stolen from their homeland and deported to Russia, with only 400 having been returned. Since 2014, estimates suggest the number of these forcibly displaced children could be as high as 700 000. Many of these children are orphans or kids without parental care.

Deportation – a war crime under the Rome Statute and the Fourth Geneva Convention – is being used as a weapon against the most vulnerable. The goal of this merciless policy is as clear as it is cruel: to erase the Ukrainian identity of these children and ‘Russify’ them.

I grew up in Soviet-occupied Lithuania, so I know what ‘Russification’ and ‘Sovietisation’ means. The names of children are changed; their birth certificates are altered. They are bombarded with Russian propaganda and forced to attend Russian military processions. Their forcible deportation is not merely a violation of international law; it is a calculated act of cultural and national genocide, aiming to extinguish the very essence of Ukraine’s future.

We call on the EU to condemn these actions and to recognise them as part of a genocidal policy against the Ukrainian people. We also urge the EU to establish a dedicated team and provide sustainable, well-funded support to assist Ukraine in identifying, returning and rehabilitating these children, and to continue supporting organisations like Golosy Ditey, which are crucial in these efforts.

  Heléne Fritzon, för S&D-gruppen. – Fru talman! I krig och konflikt är det alltid barnen som drabbas hårdast. Barn dödas, skadas, drabbas av brist på mat, vatten och säkra platser. Barn tvingas sluta skolan eller separeras från sina föräldrar. Att barn tvångsförflyttats till Ryssland är helt oacceptabelt i detta Rysslands folkrättsvidriga, brutala och hänsynslösa angrepp mot Ukraina.

Den ryska regimen måste ställas till svars för sina krigsbrott och barnens rättigheter måste försvaras. Vi socialdemokrater tog initiativet till ett barnskyddspaket som EU har ställt sig bakom. För det handlar om barnens och Ukrainas frihet och framtid.

Men det handlar också om vår europeiska sammanhållning och om Sveriges säkerhet och alla Europas länders säkerhet. Vi står upp för barnen.

  Hilde Vautmans, namens de Renew-Fractie. – Voorzitter, minister, commissaris, en vooral: moedige bezoekers uit Oekraïne. Ik ben heel erg blij dat men ten minste u heeft kunnen terugbrengen. Dat doet mij vandaag het meeste plezier.

Kinderen zijn altijd het meest kwetsbaar in een oorlog. Dat Rusland nu meer dan 20 000 onschuldige kinderen uit Oekraïne heeft gedeporteerd, is walgelijk en misdadig. Waarschijnlijk zijn het er nog veel meer. Ik hoorde de spreekster zeggen: “750 000”. Dat is eigenlijk hallucinant.

Als moeder van twee kinderen vraag ik mij af: wat ik nu zou doen als dat mijn kinderen waren? Als het mijn zoon was? Als het mijn dochter was? Als je weet dat Rusland die kinderen in heropvoedingskampen gedwongen russificeert, van hun identiteit berooft? Laten we er geen doekjes om winden. Dit zijn oorlogsmisdaden en die moeten bestraft worden.

Als medevoorzitter van de Intergroep Kinderrechten roep ik op tot twee dingen:

maak er werk van om die kinderen zo snel mogelijk terug te brengen waar ze thuishoren, bij hun ouders in Oekraïne; en

zet alles op alles om die oorlogsmisdaden zwaar te bestraffen.

  Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, im Namen der Verts/ALE-Fraktion. – Frau Präsidentin, Frau Kommissarin, Vertreter des Rates, Walerija, Natalija, Andrij und Olha! Ilja war erst neun Jahre alt, als eine russische Granate seine Mutter vor seinen Augen tötete. Ilja selbst wurde schwer am Bein verwundet. Russische Soldaten brachten ihn in ein Krankenhaus, operierten ihn ohne Anästhesie. Seine Ärzte zwangen ihn, Russland und nicht die Ukraine zu loben.

Sascha, elf, flehte die russischen Soldaten an, ihn nicht von seiner Mutter zu trennen – vergeblich. Sascha wurde in ein Filtrationslager gezwungen, um seine ukrainische Identität auszulöschen.

Kira, vierzehn, versteckte sich in unterirdischen Bunkern, bevor sie von russischen Soldaten gefangen genommen und gezwungen wurde, in einem russischen Haushalt zu leben.

Ilja, Sascha und Kira können sich eigentlich glücklich schätzen: Ihr Schicksal wurde bekannt, sie konnten gerettet werden. Sie sind nur einige der über 20 000 ukrainischen Kinder, die von Russland entführt und in Umerziehungslager oder russische Haushalte gezwungen wurden, oft weit entfernt in Sibirien. Putins oberste Kinderentführerin, Frau Lwowa-Belowa, rühmte sich sogar, 700 000 ukrainische Kinder „gerettet“ zu haben. Glücklicherweise steht diese Dame jetzt auf der Fahndungsliste des Internationalen Strafgerichtshofs, zusammen mit ihrem Chef.

Russland tötet Eltern, entführt ihre Kinder und steckt sie in Programme zur Gehirnwäsche. Der teuflische Plan besteht darin, die ukrainische Identität zu vernichten und die Zukunft der Ukraine zu zerstören. Genau das ist die Definition von Völkermord im Wörterbuch.

An der Seite der Ukraine zu stehen, bedeutet, an der Seite der zahllosen Kinder zu stehen, die eine Chance verdienen, ihre Familien zu sehen, und eine Chance, Ukrainerinnen und Ukrainer zu bleiben.

  Jadwiga Wiśniewska, w imieniu grupy ECR. – Pani Przewodnicząca! Szanowni Państwo! Drodzy przedstawiciele ukraińskiego narodu! Pochylamy się dziś nad tragedią tysięcy ukraińskich dzieci. Tysiące dzieci zostało brutalnie odebranych swoim rodzinom i wywiezionych w głąb Rosji. Działania te mają charakter systemowy i prowadzone są na dużą skalę. Rosja celowo zrywa wszelkie więzi, jakie mają dzieci ze swoją ojczyzną. Uczy się je kłamstw o rosyjskiej agresji na Ukrainę. Oddawane są do nielegalnej adopcji. Likwiduje się ich akta osobowe, wymazuje się ich ukraińską tożsamość. Przymusowe przesiedlenia ukraińskich dzieci do Rosji są zbrodnią wojenną noszącą znamiona ludobójstwa. To jedna z najbardziej cynicznych zbrodni reżimu Putina. Ta dramatyczna sytuacja nie może pozostać bez odpowiedzi. Międzynarodowy Trybunał Karny wystawił nakazy aresztowania dla prezydenta Putina oraz rosyjskiej komisarz ds. praw dzieci Marii Lwowej–Biełowej między innymi za rolę w tej zbrodni.

Reżim Putina w całości musi odpowiedzieć za te zbrodnie. I dlatego powinniśmy nałożyć embargo również na żywność z Rosji, żeby takich sytuacji handlowych nie wykorzystywano do uwiarygodniania takich zbrodni, o jakich dzisiaj mówimy. Musimy działać razem, by zakończyć ten koszmar i zapewnić ochronę ukraińskich dzieci. Ten haniebny atak musi zostać potępiony przez społeczność międzynarodową i mam nadzieję, że wobec Rosji zostaną zastosowane dotkliwe i skuteczne sankcje. Oprócz wzruszeń i unoszenia się potrzeba realnych działań.

  Jaak Madison, on behalf of the ID Group. – Madam President, dear colleagues, and dear Ukrainian friends in the Chamber who are visiting us here, first of all, we are very, very sorry for all Ukrainian children and families who have lost kids to the Russians and who are kidnapped or forcibly deported to Russia.

I would like to mention – because I have few minutes here left – they mentioned some kind of statements of the Russian propaganda, what we have heard for the last two years, and I’m afraid that there are very many people in Europe, and a few people in this Chamber, who also are believing this kind of propaganda. We have heard, probably in the TV channels or in the social media, that the Russians are actually protecting those kids because they are taking them away from the war zone and keeping them alive and safe on the Russian side. And that’s why they are like the real heroes and saviours, and we should be very thankful for the Russians that they are taking those kids from the Ukrainian side to Russian side.

But the problem with the Russian propaganda is that normally something like 5% of it is true, and 95% of it is absolutely false, fake news, and this is also fake news. So it means that, for the Russian propaganda, you are attacking the neighbourhood country, you are killing them, you’re trying to occupy them, or you try to force them to do whatever you want they have to do. And then you say, ‘OK, but I will take those kids, thousands of kids on the Russian side, because we are the saviours, so we are the good guys actually here’. There are people who are really believing this kind of things.

The second thing about the mentality of Russia, and there’s nothing new that they are deporting the people, so if somebody’s surprised in this House – because we should have one of the highest knowledge of the information above the Europeans – there’s nothing new of the Russians that they are deporting the people on the Russian side. That’s the old tactic.

I would like to remind you, in about 10 days, there is an anniversary of the mass deportation from the Baltic countries. It will be 75 years when almost 100 000 people were forcibly deported to Siberia, to Russia, and very many of them died there – and the Russian propaganda, they are still saying today that actually, it didn’t happen, and if it happened, actually, they were the bad people. They were the capitalists who were too rich and they are taking money away from the poor people. But the fact is that 80% of them were kids and women, so I really don’t believe that the kids and women are really the capitalists who are like the labour people are forcing to the job.

So it’s an old tactic for the lying and using the propaganda and the problem, of course, here is, now, that we are doing too less and too late. I was listening very carefully also to the representative from the Council, and it’s very beautiful and nice that we are opening all the investigations. Yes, we are putting the legal procedures forward, it’s great.

Yesterday – I hope that you have watched this already – yesterday I was watching again the best documentary movie this year, 20 days in Mariupol. I don’t know how many of you have seen this. If you haven’t seen this, you have to watch this, you have to watch this. And the problem is that all the world is seeing: they’re killing the small kids, they’re destroying the city, we are watching on the news, and then we’re saying that, ‘Yes, but we have to open an investigation by the way, we have to take legal steps’.

The problem is that we are taking too little steps to give the military aid to win the war, to really push back those Russians who are the real guilty and who are doing this kind of war crimes. That’s the only solution to end this war and help these kids.

  Marcel de Graaff (NI). – Voorzitter. Al deze verslagen over de deportatie van Oekraïense kinderen naar Rusland zijn pure propaganda. Rusland heeft miljoenen Oekraïense vluchtelingen opgevangen, waaronder gelukkig ook honderdduizenden kinderen die door het Oekraïense leger werden en worden gebombardeerd. Het Parlement moet zich tegen deze Oekraïense oorlogsmisdaden uitspreken. Het Internationaal Strafhof moet Zelensky hiervoor vervolgen.

Oekraïne is bovendien zelf de grootste leverancier van kinderen voor pedonetwerken, mensensmokkel en orgaanhandel. Het heeft hiervoor kinderkennels met draagmoeders. In Rusland krijgen kinderen een traditionele opvoeding en opleiding. In het Westen krijgen ze transgenderindoctrinatie, hormoonblockers en genitale verminking.

De hypocrisie is hemeltergend. Het Westen moet ophouden met deze oorlogshitserij … (De Voorzitter ontneemt de spreker het woord)

  Michaela Šojdrová (PPE). – Madam President, dear colleagues, this discussion is because we want to stop the spread of this misinformation. So, this is the reason for this discussion: to stop to spread disinformation, propaganda – Putin’s propaganda – as previous colleagues said.

Paní předsedající, dámy a pánové, já neumím odpovědět na to, proč je zde Putin. Proč je zde zase někdo, kdo unáší děti stejně jako kdysi Hitler? Valerie se v 15 letech ocitla u babičky na okupovaném území. Dostala se na území Ruska a myslela si, že bude studovat na střední škole. Ale brzy zjistila, že z ní Rusko chce udělat Rusku. Měla zapomenout na Ukrajinu. Měla zapomenout na svoji maminku, svůj ukrajinský jazyk. Pokusila se vrátit, ale povedlo se jí to až na potřetí a dosud na to nevzpomíná ráda. Ale dnes je šťastná. Je tady s námi. Je šťastná, protože se jí to podařilo. Kolika tisícům dětí se to nepodařilo? Zejména mladší děti nejsou schopny se spojit se svými rodiči či opatrovníky a vyhledat pomoc. Putin je rychlejší, dětem vydává ruské občanství, mění jejich identitu tak, aby nebylo už možné je vyhledat a vrátit. Zkrátka čas tady hraje proti nám, a proto bylo tak důležité mít tuto diskuzi s Komisí a s Radou ještě dnes.

Ukrajina potřebuje naše zbraně, aby se ubránila ruské přesile. To je zásadní úkol pro dnešek. Ale nesmíme zapomenout na ukrajinské děti, protože to je budoucnost. Evropský parlament vyzval k pomoci ukrajinským dětem již v září 2022 a tehdy jsme žádali Mezinárodní výbor Červeného kříže, aby využil své pravomoci. Rusko 2 roky brání Mezinárodnímu výboru Červeného kříže, aby konal své poslání. I to musí vědět mezinárodní veřejnost.

Dámy a pánové, já děkuji za vaši spolupráci, za to, že hlas Evropského parlamentu je slyšet, a my musíme spojit své síly s Komisí, s Radou, s ukrajinskou vládou. Sláva Ukrajině! Pravda a láska zvítězí.

  Elisabetta Gualmini (S&D). – Madam President, I have to say that what happened some seconds ago with MEP Marcel de Graaff is a very, very serious issue. We cannot tolerate Russian propaganda in this House. We cannot tolerate pro-Putin fake propaganda in the House of democracy. We cannot tolerate the violation of the truth!

We are fighting and all Parliament is united to defend democracy against tyranny, against authoritarian regimes. So please don’t come in this House to tell lies in front of these girls, please. We have to condemn this. So, care ragazze, I’m sorry for what has happened. I shift to Italian.

La ferocia di un tiranno si misura col comportamento verso le persone più fragili – i bambini prima di tutto – rubati ai genitori dall'Ucraina, strappati con la forza nei convitti, deportati in campi di rieducazione, costretti a diventare cittadini russi.

Siamo arrivati alla cancellazione dell'identità ucraina, all'annientamento della cultura delle origini, della propria storia e delle proprie radici. E questa è la forma più odiosa di totalitarismo: 20 000 deportati da Mosca in Russia e in Bielorussia.

È imperativo che condanniamo chi commette questi crimini di guerra! Ripetiamolo: è Vladimir Putin il responsabile! Ripetiamolo: è Vladimir Putin! Deve andare di fronte alla Corte penale internazionale. L'indottrinamento, il lavaggio del cervello, la propaganda finta sono le armi delle dittature e delle mire imperialiste di Putin.

L'Europa alzi la propria voce, ma la dittatura non vincerà contro la democrazia, l'autoritarismo brutale non vincerà contro la libertà e noi siamo qua con voi. Slava Ukraini!

  Catharina Rinzema (Renew). – Voorzitter, wat er zojuist in dit huis, het Europees Parlement, gebeurd is, is een schande. Europarlementariër Marcel de Graaff heeft hier propaganda van een ongekende orde over ons uitgesproken. Ik vraag me oprecht af: wie betaalt Marcel de Graaff voor deze Russische propaganda?

Now I’ll continue my speech in English.

Because an innocent looks on. Hope drowns her pleading eyes. The endless pain of wars. ‘Please end this war,’ she cries. When I think about all the children forcibly deported, as a mother, my heart cries. I saw those who pay the price with evil all around them.

I come here to call for more sanctions. We must understand the extent of a state-backed network from both Russia and Belarus. We must find and punish those criminals. There are at least a dozen state officials who have been identified but not sanctioned yet.

And what about the foster families in Russia who are receiving the displaced minors? Sanctions as well.

What about the children whose pleading eyes cry ‘please bring me home’? Are we doing enough? We cannot go back to sleep. It will haunt us. We must be awakened. Oh, children! Turn back. You’re only young once.

  Bronis Ropė (Verts/ALE). – Pirmininke, gerbiama ministre, komisare, kolegos, mieli ukrainiečiai. Europa neturi teisės nuvilti Ukrainos vaikų. Ilgus metus pirkdami Rusijos išgaunamus resursus, mes stiprinome Putino įtaką. Žiūrėjome pro pirštus į jo daromus nusikaltimus. Jei reaguodavome, atsakas buvo trumpalaikis ir mažai paveikus. Tai leido Putinui galvoti, kad jis gali žengti toliau. Negebėdami susitarti ir net vykdyti Ukrainai duotus pažadus, mes ir toliau nuviliame ukrainiečius, kurie žūsta nuo Rusijos raketų. Mes nuviliame daug tėvų, kurių gyvybių nesugebėjome apsaugoti. Kremlius tiesia rankas link artimųjų netekusių vaikų. Kyla klausimas, ar ir vėl užsimerksime ir vėl paskęsime diskusijose. Rusija supranta tik jėgos kalbą. Padarykime viską čia ir dabar, kad Rusija pralaimėtų šitą karą, nes tik tokiu atveju vaikai galės grįžti namo, nenuvilkime jų.

  Veronika Vrecionová (ECR). – Paní předsedající, už snad každému musí být jasné, že Putin nezaútočil na Ukrajinu kvůli nějakému domnělému ohrožení z rozšiřování NATO nebo kvůli údajné ochraně ruskojazyčných menšin. Putin se vzhlédl v historii a tradici ruského kolonialismu a imperialismu a snad nejodpornější tváří tohoto ruského vidění světa jsou zločiny, kterých se dopouští na dětech a mladistvých. Násilné únosy ukrajinských dětí do Ruska a snaha o jejich porušťování není nic jiného než realizace plánu na zničení ukrajinského národa, zničení jeho jazyka, kultury, identity, budoucnosti. Snad nejhorší na tom celém je spolupráce ruského Červeného kříže na těchto zločinech. Jednoho dne se za to bude muset Putin i jeho věrchuška zodpovídat. A na tom musíme také pracovat.

  Andrea Bocskor (NI). – Elnök Asszony! Az ukrajnai lakosság már több mint két éve szenved az országban dúló szörnyű háborútól. Köztük a harcok legvédtelenebb áldozatai: a gyermekek. A gyermekek lelki és fizikai szenvedései mellett súlyos probléma, hogy több ezer gyermeket hurcoltak el Oroszországba. Bár az elhurcolások sokszor ártatlannak tűnő ürüggyel történtek, Oroszország nem segítette elő, sőt több eszközzel gátolta, hogy visszatérhessenek szüleikhez, ami elfogadhatatlan. Ezzel megsértik a nemzetközi jogot, a nemzetközi egyezményeket, az EBESZ kötelezettségeket és a negyedik genfi egyezményt is.

Soha, semmilyen körülmények között nem engedhetjük meg, hogy gyermekek szenvedjenek. Garantálni kell az Ukrajnában élő gyermekek védelmét és biztonságát. Mindent meg kell tennünk, hogy a deportálásokat megakadályozzuk, és az elhurcolt gyermekek visszatérhessenek a családjukhoz. Mint megannyi gyermeknek a világon, nekik is joguk van a stabil, biztonságos otthonhoz, az oktatáshoz, az egészségügyi ellátáshoz. Ezt csak a mihamarabbi békével tehetjük lehetővé. A békével tehetjük a legtöbbet a gyermekekért.

  Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D). – Señora presidenta, señora presidenta en ejercicio del Consejo, señora comisaria, se han cumplido dos años de la criminal guerra de Putin contra Ucrania durante los cuales este Parlamento Europeo ha debatido y constatado crímenes de guerra imprescriptibles con decenas de víctimas civiles inocentes y entre ellas, por supuesto, también niñas y niños.

Pero aquí estamos hablando de otro crimen de guerra calificado como tal por la Corte Penal Internacional, que ha emitido orden de búsqueda y captura no solo contra Putin, sino contra la comisaria rusa de los Derechos del Niño, de acuerdo con el informe del Comité de Derechos del Niño de las Naciones Unidas de enero y con las Resoluciones de este Parlamento Europeo que condenan el traslado forzoso de más de veinte mil niñas y niños a Rusia. Exige su regreso, su retorno inmediato a donde pertenecen. Y, por supuesto, califica como crimen de guerra lo que lo es: es un crimen de genocidio de acuerdo con el Derecho internacional, además de un crimen de guerra, el privar de identidad y sustraer de la cultura a la que pertenecen a veinte mil niñas y niños inocentes.

Y este Parlamento emite un mensaje muy claro. Puede que no sea mañana ni pasado mañana, pero los crímenes de guerra no prescriben y este Parlamento no va a parar hasta que los responsables de crímenes de guerra sean traídos ante la justicia de la Corte Penal Internacional.

  Petras Auštrevičius (Renew). – Madam President, minister, Commissioner, just minutes ago, we have been reminded that Russian infiltration into this House is real and clear. We have to withstand all those pressures and to fight propaganda and disinformation of Russian lifestyle as much as we can. Otherwise we will fail. We will fail miserably.

Colleagues, why do the Russian occupiers separate and deport Ukrainian people? What are the reasons? First of all, it’s a part of the systematic destruction of the Ukrainian nation. It’s Putin’s plan: a Ukraine without Ukrainians. Secondly, the Russian occupiers are trying to compensate for their human losses in Ukraine, and they suffer greatly because of their aggression they started against Ukraine.

This week, it was reported that there is a special programme in Russia to ‘Russify’ and indoctrinate deported Ukrainian children at schools who are prevented from returning to their homeland. The West must continue to raise the issue of deported Ukrainian children in all international forums.

(The speaker agreed to take a blue-card question) 

  Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (S&D), blue-card question. – Ms Auštrevičius, do you think we can do more? I am now chairing the INTA Committee’s Russia monitoring group on sanctions, and I know how difficult it has been between the Member States to agree.

But also there is good news that there is a long list – 700 pages – of individuals, and also individuals who are in charge of doing this, initiated ‘Russification’, are taking care of the PR campaign in Russia, which somebody even reads here. They are doing the plans, how they get the passports. And now I also hear bad news from occupied regions that they need passports, Russian passports, to go to schools or they pay people to send them to Siberia.

What can we do more than say to our own national governments that do more? Do you have ideas?

  Petras Auštrevičius (Renew), blue-card answer. – Thank you very much for your question, we not only can, we must do much more. And we have to oppose the Putin’s regime by all means.

For your information, just yesterday, a close associate of Navalny, Leonid Volkov, was attacked in Vilnius, Lithuania. I mean, they have long hands. They try to impose an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty, to shake us, to make us not moving, not being united.

This Sunday will be a sham election in Russia. Let’s call these elections illegitimate. Let’s not recognise those results. And we will start from the very beginning, opposing the regime, from very painful place we have. So let’s be united and let’s not be afraid of making clear and sound decisions.

Catch-the-eye procedure

  Sunčana Glavak (PPE). – Poštovana predsjedavajuća, kolegice i kolege, brojna su djetinjstva uništena. Djeca se koriste kao sredstva pritiska ili ratni trofej. A što se događa ovdje pred našim očima u Europskom parlamentu? Ruski agitatori šire neistine i propagandu.

Mi moramo pokazati da smo ujedinjeni, da smo na pravoj strani povijesti i da smo na strani nevinih. Na strani nevinih, onih 20 000 djece koja su deportirana, a samo ih je 388 vraćeno. Takvo masovno preseljenje ukrajinske djece kršenje je normi međunarodnog humanitarnog prava, a čuli smo - Rusija ga provodi isključivo u svrhu njihove daljnje rusifikacije, brisanja nacionalnog identiteta i transformacije njihove ukrajinske svijesti u rusku svijest. Oni žele ruski “svet”, nemojte to nikada zaboraviti, a u našem okruženju događa se nešto slično.

Kolegice i kolege, djecu koriste kao štit, oni su najobičnije kukavice. A što je nama činiti? Dobar je ovo korak, međutim moramo biti snažniji i moramo biti jači. Moramo odmah zatražiti da se svi slučajevi prisilnih nestanaka istraže, a odgovorni odgovaraju za ono što su učinili, a to su ratni zločini.

  Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (S&D). – Madam President, I want to be very concrete about what can we do more. I think that when we talk about the children here, there is need for the battlefield help from our side. There is need for Ukrainian society to run. There is no nation during the war if you don’t have schools and electricity and systems in place. So we have done our best to also support these 50 billion.

But for the children, once you get the children back or broken families back, what can we do to help them? One idea is these rehabilitation centres that we can create to give them a safer place, if you can find a safer place today in Ukraine. I think we also can help NGOs working very close to those front line and in the society.

I think we don’t only need to give more, but give our hearts for the issue and look at the eyes of the children. There has been already one and a half years ago the UN declaration on these deported children and issue. And we just hear the numbers going bigger.

So, if we all put efforts together and also in the international podiums take up this every time you speak, Madam Minister or Commissioner, bring the children on the topic very high.

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)

  Dubravka Šuica, Vice-President of the Commission. – Madam President, honourable Members, there is no need to repeat what has been said here this morning. But I have to say that I would subscribe all the statements this morning but one, which was really horrible, by the pro-Russian guy, who tried to disseminate this disinformation, fake news and propaganda. To hear this was disgusting.

The Commission is committed to continue supporting the work of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine via Eurojust. The Commission aims to secure long-term funding for this institution and welcomes that the US will contribute with over USD 1 million to this institution.

Eurojust’s Core International Crimes Evidence Database is fully operational to support the activities of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

The Commission, together with EEAS, is committed to taking forward the discussions on the establishment of a special tribunal for the crime against Ukraine. This discussion has shown the magnitude of the commitments of all of us and that all of us share the same commitments, and we have to address this issue in a much heavier manner, if I may say so.

Time is ticking, and we all need to do our utmost to ensure that these children return to their families and communities. To return the missing Ukrainian children is of vital importance to us in our work, both in terms of political priority and through various initiatives that we will continue to support.

We must help millions of Ukrainian children overcome the terrible trauma that has been inflicted on them to enable them to regain a sense of normality and to regain their childhood in the end.

Every child matters and every Ukrainian child represents Ukrainian future. This is a sentence with which I will repeat: Ukraine cannot be rebuilt without its children. In this way, we must ensure that Ukrainian reconstruction efforts and national reform processes mainstream children’s rights and needs throughout. This is something which I’m also in charge of in my demographic portfolio.

Investing in children is an investment in Ukrainians’ future, in Europe’s future and in a safer world. So it is investment in humanity.

To conclude, once again, Russia must be held accountable for these horrible acts. The European Union is taking action. Sanctions have been imposed on 39 individuals for the deportations and for this forced transport of Ukrainian children.

We keep drawing attention to these horrible acts also in the international fora, which is also important. And, as I already said in my introductory statement, we cooperate under ‘Bring Kids Back UA’. So, together we can do more and we are trying to do our best.

  Hadja Lahbib, President-in-Office of the Council. – Madam President, dear Members of Parliament, thank you very much for your contribution to this very important debate. Thank you for your commitment to truth and democracy.

These deportations and forced transfers of children remind us of the darkest moments of the last century. Children are certainly the most vulnerable victims in situations of war and conflict. Since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, over 19 500 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported and displaced from Ukraine to Russia, with only 388 children able to return home.

It is to say that yes, we must, we have to do more. The fight against impunity for the deportation of children – as well as for other war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine – is a priority for the Council and, I am sure, for you as well.

The Belgian Presidency is firmly committed to continuing the efforts in the Council, in partnership with the Commission, to continue to provide all necessary support to Ukraine and the ICC to ensure that justice is done. And as Commissioner Šuica has just mentioned, in addition to the four arrest warrants issued, including one against Putin, sanctions have been taken against 39 people linked to these kidnapping and deportations. We will continue to investigate and to try our best to take back home as many children as we can.

  President. – We thank you, Minister. With that I will close the debate.

Written statements (Rule 171)

  Fabio Massimo Castaldo (Renew), per iscritto. – Quella dei bambini deportati in Russia è una tragedia che ricorda pericolosamente da vicino alcune delle pagine più buie della storia umana. Immaginate la paura e l'incertezza di questi bambini, strappati dalle braccia delle loro madri, catapultati in un paese straniero, lontano dai propri affetti e incarcerati in campi di rieducazione forzata. Se questo non è un crimine contro l'umanità, mi chiedo che cosa possa esserlo.

L'ambizione di Putin è chiara: vuole rubare il futuro dell'Ucraina. Quello delle future generazioni, colleghi, è un tema estremamente caro alla nostra Unione e a tutti noi. Abbiamo chiamato il fondo di ripresa dalla pandemia "NextGenerationEU", proprio per sottolineare che le azioni di oggi servono a creare un domani migliore.

Ecco, con la stessa forza, convinzione e determinazione dovremo batterci per dare un futuro migliore alle prossime generazioni di ucraini, tenendo bene a mente che queste sono parte integrante della prossima generazione di europei, che sono i futuri cittadini dell'Unione.

La forza di una società si misura dal modo in cui protegge i suoi membri più vulnerabili. La forza della nostra Unione si misurerà esattamente così: con la capacità che avremo di proteggere questi bambini, dando loro la speranza di un futuro libero, un futuro nella nostra grande famiglia europea.

  Ewa Kopacz (PPE), na piśmie. – Julia 14 lat, Danil 9 lat, Oleksandr 4 lata. Ty tylko trójka z dziesiątek tysięcy ukraińskich dzieci porwanych przez rosyjski reżim, których dane możemy znaleźć na ukraińskim portalu „Dzieci wojny”. Dzieci siłą wywiezionych z domów dziecka, rozdzielonych z rodzinami w procesie filtracji lub podstępem odebranych rodzicom pod pretekstem wyjazdu na letni obóz.

W zamkniętych instytucjach, w ramach tzw. edukacji patriotycznej, są zmuszane do śpiewania rosyjskiego hymnu, wiwatowania na cześć Putina i przeklinania Ukrainy. Przechodzą szkolenia wojskowe, są upokarzane, zastraszane, a za nieposłuszeństwo bite. Wmawia im się, że Ukraina ich nie chce, że nigdy już nie zobaczą rodziców, że staną się prawdziwymi Rosjanami.

Ta przestępcza polityka rusyfikacji Ukraińskich dzieci to zbrodnia przeciwko ludzkości. Putin i jego poplecznicy to zbrodniarze wojenni, a fakt, że na czele tego centralnie sterowanego procederu stoi rosyjska rzeczniczka praw dziecka, pokazuje, jaki jest kremlowski reżim.

Dlatego musimy w każdy sposób wspierać organy państwa ukraińskiego i organizacje, które działają na rzecz powrotu dzieci do ich rodzin, a zbrodniarzowi na Kremlu jasno mówić, że od kary za tę zbrodnię nie ma ucieczki. I nawet jeśli część najmłodszych dzieci zapomni, skąd pochodzi, my musimy pamiętać i dawać świadectwo, bo bitwa o powrót każdego bezprawnie wywiezionego dziecka to walka o przyszłość narodu ukraińskiego.

  Eva Maydell (PPE), in writing. – Few actions show the destructive and inhumane capability of Putin’s war more than the forceful deportation of Ukrainian children. Russian armed forces kidnap young and vulnerable Ukrainians and thereby strip them of their identities, separate them from their families and eventually assimilate them in their totalitarian state.

Letting this cruelty go unnoticed and without adequate response will only embolden Putin. When the EU, an alliance standing for human rights, turns a blind eye to the suffering of Ukrainian children, Putin will feel emboldened to commit even more heinous crimes.

I must reiterate my calls for strong responses. Most fundamentally, we must support civil society organisations that can save these children. These organisations already proved that they can bring children home, as they have done with hundreds of them. However, tens of thousands of young victims remain deported in Russia – far from their schools, families, and communities.

  Witold Jan Waszczykowski (ECR), na piśmie. – Według informacji ukraińskiego rządu niemal 20 tysięcy dzieci zostało uprowadzonych i wywiezionych w głąb Rosji w przeciągu minionych 2 lat. Zaledwie 388 z nich wróciło bezpiecznie do swoich rodzin. Dzieci te poddawane są reedukacji i rusyfikacji zgodnie z bogatymi tradycjami z czasów carskich i stalinowskich.

Niewyobrażalne tragedie tysięcy ukraińskich rodzin powinny uzmysłowić wszystkim na Zachodzie kilka niezaprzeczalnych faktów. Po pierwsze, jeżeli cywilizowany świat ulegnie zmęczeniu wojną na Ukrainie i pozwoli Putinowi wygrać, nasze dzieci i nasze rodziny nie będą mogły czuć się bezpiecznie.

Po drugie, imperium Putina jest chore nie tylko z nienawiści, ale i chore w sensie dosłownym. Populacja Rosji ulega stopniowemu zmniejszaniu od przeszło 25 lat, kiedy Putin przejął władzę. Szacuje się, że jeden na stu Rosjan jest nosicielem wirusa HIV. Śmiertelne żniwo zbiera uzależnienie od alkoholu i narkotyków. Społeczeństwo rosyjskie starzeje się w zatrważającym tempie, a średnia długość życia przeciętnego Rosjanina znacznie odbiega od średniej europejskiej. I w tym również należy upatrywać przyczyn zbrodniczej polityki Putina, mającej na celu zapobieżenie upadkowi chorego imperium przez podbój.

Po trzecie, negocjacje sankcjonujące terytorialne zdobycze Rosji nie zapewnią trwałego pokoju. Putin nie zrezygnuje z dalszych podbojów również z powodów demograficznych. Rosja musi zostać pokonana, a nie przekonana.