WCC NEWS: WCC gravely concerned over report regarding crimes against Ukrainian children

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed grave concern over the findings of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine regarding the deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children. 23 May 2022, Taganrog, Russia: Children walk through the Romashka sports and recreation complex in Zolotaya Kosa, southwest Russia near the border to Ukraine. Romashka hosts several hundred refugees from the Donbas region in Ukraine, most of them children from orphanages in the Donbas region of Ukraine, relocated as Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 20 March 2026 "Such actions deprive children of their families, language, culture, and homeland, inflicting deep psychological and spiritual harm,” said Pillay. “These actions are a shocking violation of the God‑given dignity of every child and of the sanctity of family bonds.” Pillay further emphasized that the deliberate removal and relocation of children for political or ideological purposes is fundamentally incompatible with international law, morality, and Christian values. “As the WCC has consistently affirmed, armed aggression and the suffering it inflicts—especially upon children—are fundamentally incompatible with God’s will for humanity,” he said. “The WCC expresses its profound solidarity with all affected children and their families. We call on the authorities of the Russian Federation to provide the transparency and accountability that a report of this seriousness demands, putting the best interests of each child first.” According to the report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine to the UN Human Rights Council, thousands of children have been taken from Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation, many removed from institutions and families without the consent required by international humanitarian law and still not returned years later.  Instead of facilitating reunification, Russian authorities are reported to have prioritized the long‑term placement of these children within the Russian Federation, including through changes of citizenship and adoption or foster care. “Such actions deprive children of their families, language, culture, and homeland, inflicting deep psychological and spiritual harm”, said WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay. WCC statement on the findings of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine regarding the deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine to the UN Human Rights Council See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland