New report: Russia has committed crimes against humanity

Russia's illegal war has brought inconceivable suffering to Ukraine's civilian population. This week, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, chaired by Erik Møse from Norway, presented its latest findings on violations of international humanitarian law and human rights committed by Russia during its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. UN Commission concludes that deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children by Russian authorities, as well as enforced disappearances, amount to crimes against humanity | OHCHR

'This is an important report which confirms that Russia has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in the deportation and forcible transfer of a large number of children from the occupied areas in Ukraine. Norway gives high priority to this issue in its efforts to support Ukraine. The children must be returned home and those responsible must be held accountable,' said Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide.

Ukrainian children unlawfully deported

The UN Commission's report documents that Russia's deportation and forcible transfer of children was carried out in line with a policy conceived and executed at the highest level of the Russian Federation's leadership.

The Commission has verified the deportation or transfer of over 1 200 children from five regions in Ukraine. The Russian authorities have taken no steps to facilitate the return of the children and have placed them in adopted families and institutions in Russia. Of the documented cases investigated by the Commission, only one fifth of the children have been returned. The children who return to Ukraine suffer from trauma and anxiety and are in need of rehabilitation to be able to reintegrate into Ukrainian society.

Under the Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine, Norway supports efforts to locate the children and bring them home. The Ukrainian authorities estimate that some 20 000 children have been forcibly taken and approximately 2 000 have been returned home.

'For every day that passes, these children are losing a part of their childhood as free members of Ukrainian society. Instead, they are forced to speak Russian and receive military education and, worst of all, they are being deprived of the right to live with their families,' said the Foreign Minister.

Foreign nationals recruited to fight

The Commission also investigated the violations of human rights against foreign nationals who have been recruited to the Russian armed forces. According to the report, nationals from 17 countries have been recruited to fight with Russian armed forces in Ukraine. Many had been deceived during the recruitment process and were coerced into signing contracts written in Russian, which they did not understand. They were then sent on dangerous missions on the front line.

'More and more countries are criticising Russia for exploiting impoverished young men, who are being sent directly into the deadly conditions along the front line. This is yet another reason why this illegal and meaningless war must end,' said Mr Eide.

The brutality of war

The UN Commission also pointed to a number of other violations of international law, including the right to a fair trial, and the use of torture and sexual and gender-based violence.

'The UN Commission's report provides crucial documentation of the ramifications of Russia's war on the Ukrainian civilian population. We must hold Russia accountable for its grave violations of international law. Prisoners of war and illegally detained people must be released and deported children must be returned home immediately, said Mr Eide.

Norway participates actively in the efforts to hold Russia accountable for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and subsequent war crimes. Norway has supported the establishment a special war crimes court in order to prosecute the Russian parties responsible for the invasion of Ukraine. Under that Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine, Norway also provides support to organisations that are working to identify, document, investigate and prosecute possible war crimes.

UN Commission on Ukraine

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022 to investigate all alleged violations and abuses of human rights, violations of international humanitarian law and related crimes in the context of the aggression against Ukraine by the Russian Federation.

The Commission has published a number of reports documenting Russia's widespread and systematic violation of human rights and international humanitarian law. In 2024, the Commission concluded that Russia has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.