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On 9 July, the findings were presented by the OSCE Moscow Mechanism expert mission, which was invoked by Lithuania and 40 other OSCE participating states to investigate Russia’s militarization and indoctrination of Ukrainian children.

“The Moscow Mechanism expert mission confirms that not only Russia’s deportation of Ukrainian children, but also their indoctrination and militarization, could be comparable to crimes against humanity. The international community must unite its efforts to ensure that Russia is held to account for these crimes and to help Ukraine bring back every abducted child,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys.

The report emphasizes that Russia’s systematic indoctrination and militarization of Ukrainian children can be regarded as a crime against humanity. Experts have determined that these practices are part of a broader pattern of violations of international humanitarian law committed by Russia.

Lithuania, together with its partners and international organizations, continues to actively work toward the return of abducted Ukrainian children. Our goal is to ensure that every child is returned to their family and community and protected from repression by the occupying authorities. We also support international mechanisms designed to document Russia’s crimes, to ensure that Russia is held fully accountable for its war of aggression against Ukraine.

The Moscow Mechanism has been invoked for the sixth time to document Russia’s crimes committed since the start of its large-scale invasion of Ukraine. In a joint initiative, 41 countries have united to support Ukraine. This coalition includes all European Union member states, along with Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, and the United Kingdom.

The full text of the report is available here.