Kyiv Charges Three Over Deportation of 35 Children to Russia

Ukrainian prosecutors say the children were taken from an orphanage in occupied Donetsk to Russia just days before the full-scale invasion. Make us preferred on Google Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Students attend the first day of school ceremony at the newly established school for ethnic Ukrainians in Budapest on September 1, 2025. (Photo by Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google Ukrainian authorities have charged three people over the deportation of 35 children from the occupied Donetsk region to Russia, in a case Kyiv says amounts to a war crime. According to investigators, the children, aged four to six, were taken from a state-run orphanage in Donetsk in February 2022, just days before Russia launched its full-scale invasion. They were transported to Russia’s Rostov region and later placed in local institutions. Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . Ukrainian prosecutors say some of the children were later handed over to Russian families under the guise of guardianship and have not been returned. Those charged are Mikhail Kushakov, a former “education minister” of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic,” Oleksiy Kulemzin, head of the occupation administration in Donetsk, and Raisa Prylipko, director of the orphanage from which the children were removed. Kyiv says the operation was planned in advance and carried out with the involvement of occupation authorities, describing it as part of a broader pattern of forced transfers from territories under Russian control. The suspects were charged in absentia under Ukraine’s war crimes statutes. Officials say they are believed to be in Russia or in occupied areas of Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities have opened thousands of cases related to the deportation of children since the start of the invasion, calling the issue one of the war’s gravest humanitarian consequences. Other Topics of Interest Seven More Ukrainian Children Returned From Occupation With US Support Ukraine has successfully repatriated seven children aged 13 to 17 from Russian-occupied territories, an effort supported by US First Lady Melania Trump’s humanitarian initiative. To suggest a correction or clarification, write to us here You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter Contact Us Please leave your suggestions or corrections here Cancel Send Kyiv Post Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization since 1995. Its international market reach of 97% outside of Ukraine makes it truly Ukraine’s Global – and most reliable – Voice.