UK confronts Russia over mass child deportations at UN Security Council

Stephen Doughty, UK Minister for Europe and North America, directly confronted the Russian delegation at the session. Recounting his meetings with children who escaped Russian captivity, Doughty described the systematic horror of families being torn apart and the forced imposition of "new identities" on Ukrainian youth.

"I have a drawing in my office by a Ukrainian child who managed to return and is now undergoing treatment for the trauma they endured," Doughty said.

"Russia is doing this to tens of thousands of children. I must ask the Russian representative: Have you no shame?' This must stop."

The minister highlighted the staggering physical and mental toll of the invasion. Since February 2022, Ukrainian children have spent approximately 4,000 hours — over five months — hiding in basements and shelters under the shriek of air raid sirens. Doughty stressed that constant blackouts, loss, and fear have fundamentally stripped an entire generation of their sense of security.

Ukrainian kids abduction

The international community continues to increase pressure on Moscow to release its young captives:

In June, researchers at Yale University estimated that Russia may be holding up to 35,000 missing Ukrainian children, many of whom have been forcibly adopted into Russian families or sent to military re-education camps.

On Dec. 3, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution demanding the "immediate, safe, and unconditional return" of all deported children and an end to the illegal practice of changing their citizenship or legal status.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Dec. 24, 2025, that Ukraine has identified a specific list of nearly 500 abducted children, including their exact addresses in Russia.

While Ukraine has officially confirmed the illegal deportation of over 19,000 children, the Kremlin continues to downplay the atrocity, claiming only "hundreds" have been moved for their own safety.