On 9 July 2026, a report by independent experts was presented at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Permanent Council, concerning violations of human rights and humanitarian law in relation to the militarisation and indoctrination of Ukrainian children in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and the Russian Federation. One of the authors of the report is Dr. Elīna Šteinerte, a Latvian expert in international law.
In the report, the experts conclude that the Russian Federation has established a coordinated system involving education, youth organisations, religious institutions and security agencies aimed at erasing Ukrainian children’s identity. The deportation, Russification, indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children are not isolated incidents, but rather a long-standing policy coordinated at the state level. This policy is implemented through the education system, imposed curricula, military-patriotic education, youth movements, extracurricular programmes and regulatory frameworks. The report also explains that in the occupied territories, this system constitutes a pipeline towards service in the Russian armed forces.
The experts confirmed that the Russian Federation has committed numerous violations of international humanitarian law, as well as systematic violations of human rights. According to the report, the best interests of the child, as defined in Article 3 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, are being disregarded.
The report concludes that Russia has violated international humanitarian law by failing to ensure, to the extent possible, the preservation of existing legal and educational systems in the occupied territories, by unlawfully changing the civil status of Ukrainian children and by disregarding the protection offered to them by international humanitarian law. The independent experts also conclude that Russia’s actions may amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The report recommends that the Russian Federation immediately cease the indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children, ensure the safe and unconditional return of all deported children, end imposition of citizenship and adoptions, restore the children’s identities, including citizenship, family ties and documents, and ensure that international organisations have access to the children and the occupied territories.
Meanwhile, the international community is urged to continue supporting initiatives to secure the return of the children, strengthen sanctions against individuals and organisations involved in their deportation and indoctrination, support the work of the International Criminal Court and other accountability mechanisms, and provide funding for the protection, rehabilitation and family reunification of children.
Background information
On 14 May 2026, 41 OSCE member states, including Latvia, with the support of Ukraine, proposed the establishment of an independent expert mission (the so-called “Moscow Mechanism”) to assess violations of human rights and humanitarian law relating to the indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and in the Russian Federation.
As of 1 June 2026, 20,610 children who had been deported or forcibly transferred were registered in Ukraine’s official records, while only about 2,274 children had been returned. Many children have been placed in foster care or adopted in Russia, making it difficult for them to return to their families.
The information contained in the expert report may also be used in international courts and tribunals that currently have, or may have in the future, jurisdiction over these crimes.
The “Moscow Mechanism” is an OSCE instrument applied in cases where there are serious suspicions of violations of the OSCE Human Dimension commitments in any of the OSCE member states. The mechanism takes the form of an evidence-gathering and documentation mission in the territory of the country concerned, resulting in a report that is subsequently considered by the OSCE Permanent Council.
The report is available at: odihr.osce.org