State Department: Belarusian authorities involved in illegal relocation of Ukraine's children

The Belarusian government and special services, together with the Russian authorities, are directly involved in the illegal removal of children from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

That's according to the U.S. Department of State, Ukrinform reports.

"The Conflict Observatory, a program supported by the U.S. Department of State, today [on November 16] released a report detailing Belarus's involvement in Russia's systematic removal of children from Ukraine amid Russia's illegal and unprovoked war," the State Department said.

According to the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, a program partner, more than 2,400 children between the ages of six and 17 have been transported from Russia-occupied regions of Ukraine to Dubrava and 12 other facilities in Belarus, where many undergo political and cultural re-education and military training to serve the political interests of Belarus and Russia.

"The report concludes that these operations are coordinated at the highest levels of both governments and facilitated by each country's security forces and ultranationalist militant groups," the State Department said.

The report also finds that officials involved in these relocation operations target children from vulnerable populations, including children with disabilities, children from low-income families, children with military parents, and purported orphans.

"These children are relocated to Belarus or Russia, potentially without the consent of their families or a clear path to return home," the State Department said.

It added that the United States would continue to pursue accountability for actors "involved in abuses connected with Russia's war against Ukraine."

Members of Russia's military and government have deported hundreds of thousands of Ukraine's civilians to Russia, including children who have been forcibly separated from their families.

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