European Parliament urges Russia to return deported Ukrainian children; resolution passes 536-8

In brief

• The European Parliament has adopted a resolution calling on Russia to return deported Ukrainian children unconditionally.
• The vote was 536 in favour, 8 against and 37 abstentions.
• The text cites 20,651 verified cases and an estimated 1.6 million Ukrainian children under occupation, and says Russia's conduct meets the legal definition of genocide.

Parliament adopts resolution by a wide margin

Members of the European Parliament voted on Thursday to adopt a resolution on Ukrainian children who have been deported to Russia or live in Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation. The text passed 536 to 8, with 37 members abstaining (European Parliament calls on Russia to return Ukrainian children – Ukrinform) (Rusi deportovali vyše dvadsaťtisíc ukrajinských detí. Europoslanci žiadajú vyvodenie zodpovednosti – HNonline.sk) (Європарламент схвалив резолюцію щодо дітей, депортованих РФ, і тих, що живуть на окупованих територіях – Suspilne).

What the resolution demands

The document calls on Russia to return every deported or forcibly transferred Ukrainian child to unoccupied Ukraine without conditions. It states that the return of children is a legal obligation and must not be used as a bargaining chip in peace talks, linked to territorial concessions or traded for prisoners (Європарламент закликав визнати дії Росії щодо українських дітей геноцидом – Українська правда).

MEPs also asked Russian and Belarusian authorities to provide Ukraine and relevant international bodies with complete, verifiable records on each child, including identity, location, health and legal status (Европарламент потребовал от Беларуси и России раскрыть информацию о вывезенных украинских детях – Reform.news).

Genocide and sanctions

The resolution says Russia's actions toward Ukrainian children meet the legal definition of genocide and urges EU member states to recognise them as such. The UN convention on genocide lists the forcible transfer of children from one group to another as an act that can constitute genocide when committed with intent to destroy the group.

The text calls for broader sanctions against officials and organisations involved in deportations and ideological re-education, including those in Belarus. Dutch MEP Thijs Reuten, who helped prepare the text, said North Korea is also named for the first time and that sanctions should reach lower-level participants, not only senior Russian leaders (Євродепутат: Північна Корея, як і Білорусь, сприяє викраденню українських дітей Росією – Українська правда) (Євродепутат: Північна Корея, як і Білорусь, сприяє викраденню українських дітей Росією – Європейська правда).

Scale of the problem

According to the resolution, 20,651 cases of deportation or forcible transfer of Ukrainian children by Russia had been verified as of September 2026. It estimates that about 1.6 million Ukrainian children remain under Russian occupation. By 28 October 2026, 2,752 children had been returned.

A 2023 study by Yale University, cited in the resolution, identified at least 2,442 Ukrainian children held in Russian-controlled institutions or placed with families.

Reaction

Not all Parliament members backed the text. Four Slovak MEPs from the Smer party voted against it, according to Slovak media (Blaha, Kaliňák a ďalšie dve europoslankyne Smeru odmietli odsúdiť ruské deportácie ukrajinských detí – Aktuality.sk).