Canada is doubling down on efforts to secure the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russian officials, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced ahead of a coalition summit in Brussels. Anand said Ottawa is prioritising what it can achieve for Ukrainians in the here and now, rather than debating international legal classifications.
"For me, the important question is, what are we doing here and now, what are we doing to bring Ukrainian children home," Anand told The Canadian Press. She acknowledged that questions about genocide and the legality of Russia's invasion will be resolved through the international court system, but emphasised that "Russia's actions are against international law — they're reprehensible and we will do all we can to hold Russia to account".
In 2024, the Trudeau government co-launched an international coalition with Ukraine to push for the return of children abducted during the war. Canada is co-hosting Monday's summit in Brussels to assess the coalition's progress. Since March 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin and a senior Russian official have faced International Criminal Court arrest warrants on charges of unlawful deportation and transfer of children.
The scale of the abduction crisis remains disputed. Ukraine and its allies believe Russia has effectively abducted 20,000 children, of whom approximately 2,000 have returned. However, Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab estimates the figure is significantly higher, with 35,000 Ukrainian children being forcibly held in Russia, occupied parts of Ukraine, and Belarus.
Moscow has rejected these claims, suggesting children have been voluntarily brought to safety, particularly orphans. Russian officials have also repeatedly denied Ukrainian culture exists in large areas of Ukraine where Russian is spoken. However, human rights groups have documented cases of children being forcibly adopted into Russian families where they are required to reject Ukrainian culture, and report that some abducted children receive military training.
