The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomes the invocation of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism in response to the Russian Federation’s systematic policy of indoctrination, militarisation, forced assimilation and the destruction of the Ukrainian identity of children under the control of the aggressor state.

This is a timely and principled decision. Russia is attempting to turn Ukrainian children into the subjects of an imperial experiment: first by tearing them away from their homes, families, language and state, and then by forcing them to adopt the ideology of the country that abducted them. This is not a matter of isolated violations, but a deliberate state policy directed against the future of the Ukrainian nation.

The OSCE Moscow Mechanism has repeatedly proven its value as a tool for independent fact-finding, documenting gross violations of international humanitarian law and human rights, and providing recommendations to ensure further accountability. The new mandate will be yet another significant contribution by the OSCE to exposing the criminal system that Russia has established against Ukrainian children.

Ukraine expresses its gratitude to the OSCE participating States that supported the invocation of this mechanism following consultations with Ukraine. Their decision demonstrates not only solidarity with Ukraine, but also their commitment to upholding the fundamental principles of the OSCE – human dignity, freedom, the inviolability of family life and the right of every child to grow up free from coercion, fear and war propaganda.

The Russian Federation must immediately cease its criminal practices against Ukrainian children, provide full information on all children under its control, ensure their safe and unconditional return to Ukraine, and fulfil its obligations under international law.

The return of Ukrainian children is an integral part of a just and lasting peace.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine will continue to work with partners, international organisations and accountability mechanisms to ensure that every Ukrainian child is returned home and that all those responsible for these crimes are held accountable.

For the reference: The Moscow Mechanism is a special procedure of the OSCE Human Dimension, provided for by a consensus decision of all participating States in the 1991 OSCE Moscow Document and the 1992 OSCE Helsinki Document. The mechanism makes it possible to appoint independent expert missions to investigate the information of violations and assists in resolving specific problems related to the OSCE Human Dimension issues.