The European Union has condemned Russia's systematic policy of militarizing and indoctrinating Ukrainian children, stating that the practices may amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes, according to an EU statement delivered at the OSCE Permanent Council on 9 July 2026. The statement responds to a report by an expert mission under the OSCE Moscow Mechanism, which found that Russia has committed multiple violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL). The EU welcomed the report by experts Prof. Hervé Ascensio, Dr. Elīna Šteinerte, and Prof. Stefan Wolff, and thanked Ukraine for inviting the mission and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) for technical assistance.
The Moscow Mechanism was invoked by 41 participating States, including all EU Member States, following mounting reports that Russia is subjecting Ukrainian children—especially those in temporarily occupied territories or those forcibly transferred or deported to Russia—to militarization, indoctrination, and coercion aimed at erasing Ukrainian identity. The expert mission concluded that Russia's policy disregards the best interests of the child, violating rights to identity, family, education, and freedom of thought, among others. The report documents violations of IHL, including failure to preserve existing legal and educational systems in occupied territory and unlawful alteration of children's personal status.
The EU statement highlighted that the report finds Russia's coordinated policy operates through education, military-patriotic training, youth movements, and legislative changes, creating a pipeline toward conscription in occupied territories. Under international criminal law, the mission concluded that the indoctrination and militarization, carried out on discriminatory grounds as part of a widespread attack, may constitute a crime against humanity (persecution), and numerous incidents may be classified as war crimes. The EU noted that as of May 2026, it has adopted sanctions against 131 individuals and entities responsible for unlawful deportation, forced transfer, forced assimilation, and militarized education of Ukrainian minors. The EU also reiterated its commitment as a member of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children to support their return, reintegration, and rehabilitation.
The EU called on Russia to implement the report's recommendations immediately and facilitate the safe return of all deported and forcibly transferred children. It encouraged all OSCE participating States to support implementation and accountability efforts. Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, and Ukraine aligned themselves with the EU statement.