ECHR examines case on illegal adoption of Ukrainian children from Crimea by Russians
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Wed, 16 Apr 2025 03:52:23 +0300

The European Court of Human Rights ECHR has officially begun examining a case concerning Russias unlawful adoption of Ukrainian children taken from Crimea following the occupation of the peninsula in 2014.
Source Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Details According to the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, the case concerns 10 children aged between one and five who were under state guardianship in specialised institutions at the time of the occupation of Crimea.
After seizing the peninsula, the Russian authorities refused to bring the children back to Ukraine, failed to inform about their whereabouts and later the profiles of these children appeared on Russian adoption websites.
Human rights activists noted that information about some of the children had disappeared from public sources, which may indicate that they have been adopted by Russian citizens.
The Russian authorities declared over 4,000 Ukrainian children from Crimea who lacked parental care as Russian citizens in 2014.
Quote The application to the Court is based on several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights, including the right to respect for private life, liberty, and personal security.
The arbitrary change of citizenship and subsequent adoptions are seen as actions that stripped the children of their Ukrainian social identity.
Additionally, their continued placement in institutions under Russian control is considered a violation of their rights.
Details The ECHR notified the Russian government of case No.
6719/23 and requested official comments, which must be submitted by 31 July 2025.
Background During a speech at the UN Security Council in December 2024, Dariia Zarivna, Adviser to the Head of the Office of the President, reported that Maria LvovaBelova, Russian Commissioner for Childrens Rights, had boasted about having resettled over 700,000 Ukrainian children in Russia.
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