Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, an unbearable tragedy has been unfolding in the shadows: the brutal abduction of thousands of Ukrainian children by кussia. Torn from their homes, separated from their families amidst the chaos of bombings, more than 19,500 children have disappeared into the depths of a cold and ruthless system. These vulnerable little souls, deprived of all bearings, are reduced to pawns in a cynical and cruel political game. This is not just a violation of international law—it is a crime against humanity, an assassination of their identity and their future.

Broken souls, stolen childhoods

Uprooted, stripped of their language and their memories, these children are thrown into a brutal process of Russification. Some are locked away in orphanages, while others are handed over to Russian families who raise them as if Ukraine never existed. They are taught to renounce their origins, to hate who they once were. Those who dare to remember are punished, crushed under the weight of relentless propaganda. Worse still, some boys are trained to become future kremlin soldiers—human weapons shaped from childhood to serve a cause that is not their own.

A new threat with Trump-putin negotiations

While the world should be doing everything possible to save these children, a troubling shadow looms: secret negotiations between Donald Trump and vladimir putin. Ignoring the desperate pleas of Ukraine and its allies, these discussions could permanently bury any hope of these children ever being reunited with their families. The complicit silence of certain Western powers condemns them to oblivion, trapping them in a forced exile that could last a lifetime.

The urgency of a moral and humanitarian awakening

Every passing second is another stab at the innocence of these children. They cry, alone, in unfamiliar rooms, wondering if they will ever see their mother’s smile again, if they will ever hear their father’s reassuring voice once more. The International Coalition for the Repatriation of Ukrainian Children has been established to fight against this nightmare, but it cannot succeed without immediate and massive mobilization.

The world must rise for them. Diplomatic pressure must be intensified, sanctions against Russia must be strengthened, and rescue operations must be organized. If we close our eyes, if we allow bureaucracy and politics to stand in the way of action, then we will be complicit in an abominable crime. Time is running out.

Every child saved is a victory against injustice. But every day that passes without action is a sentence to suffering and oblivion.

Éric Gozlan,

Director of the international council for diplomacy and dialogue