According to official statistics, more than 16,000 children have been deported from Russia to Ukraine (Photo: Getty Images)

Russian troops forcibly taking Ukrainian children to Russia is a war crime, investigators say.

There are indications of human rights abuses linked to the deportation of more than 16,000 Ukrainian children to Russia, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry into Ukraine said in a recent report.

The report stated categorically that the forced abduction of children “contradicts international humanitarian law”.

It highlighted other war crimes, including attacks on civilians and energy-related infrastructure, as well as unlawful detention, torture, rape and other sexual violence.

The report also notes that Moscow’s policy of granting citizenship to Ukrainian children – and placing them in foster care – has “created a framework for some children to remain permanently in Russia”.

In some cases, during the transfer, children were forced to wear dirty clothes, were scolded and scolded.

It also turned out that people with learning and behavioral problems received insufficient care and medication.

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Parents and children say they have encountered significant barriers to connecting after the breakup, and researchers add that younger children who are unable to do so on their own “may [their families] unlimited’.

Investigators are currently trying to determine whether the bombing of the city of Mariupol last May was a crime against humanity.

However, they encountered difficulties in conducting their research due to the lack of access to the Donetsk region.

For the investigation, the UN commission interviewed nearly 600 people in nearly 60 areas and inspected “places of destruction, graves, places of detention and torture, and remains of weapons.” [and] a large number of documents and reports”.

They recommended “investigating all offenses and crimes and holding those responsible accountable, both nationally and internationally”.

The commission added that it had documented a small number of violations on the Ukrainian side, including two incidents where Russian prisoners of war were shot, wounded or tortured.

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