Russia commits crimes against Ukrainian children that bear signs of genocide – Herasymchuk

The relevant statement was made by Daria Herasymchuk, Advisor and President’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights and Children’s Rehabilitation, in a commentary to journalists during the ‘UA: War. Unsung Lullaby’ conference on the occasion of International Children’s Day, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Russia kills our children, Russia injures them. Sadly, children are subjected to sexual violence; children are kidnapped; they live in conditions that are absolutely unfit for living in the temporarily occupied areas. Everything that I have just mentioned is nothing but signs of genocide against the Ukrainian people through Ukrainian children,” Herasymchuk said.

In her words, proving the crime of genocide is a rather complex matter, but it is Ukraine’s objective. Herasymchuk noted that the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the head of the terrorist state, Vladimir Putin, and Russia’s ombudswoman for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, in fact, is the first step towards proving the crime of genocide.

Herasymchuk emphasized that Ukraine’s priority now is to bring back the Ukrainian children, which had been abducted by Russians. A total of 371 children have already returned to Ukraine.

According to Herasymchuk, the state is using all methods and tools to document Russian crimes against children as quickly as possible and bring the offenders to justice.