Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has issued an order to grant Ukrainian children Russian citizenship. The consequences of this step could be dire, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets has said.
According to the ombudsman, the document states that orphans and children left without parental care who are citizens of Ukraine may be granted Russian citizenship by Putin's personal decision without taking into account all or some of the requirements of federal law.
An application for such citizenship can also be submitted by the heads of Russian organisations in which the child is placed under supervision.
"The application form does not mention the applicant's place of residence or contact details, but only the address and contacts at the applicant's place of work, which can disappear at any time. I believe that the granting of Russian citizenship to children is done to ensure that deported Ukrainian children do not 'legally' remain on their territory," Lubinets said.
The ombudsman added that in this case, Russian citizens could apply for citizenship on behalf of the deported Ukrainian children, who are currently in Russian institutions or in Russian families under guardianship, and Putin would grant them without any requirements.
"We understand the terrible consequences of such actions, because the next step after they receive Russian 'citizenship' will be the adoption of children as Russians, and then the change of their personal data. At one point, it may happen that not a single Ukrainian child will remain in the Russian Federation, as all of them may become Russians within the next three months," he said.
Lubinets noted that he would take all necessary measures "to respond both domestically and internationally", because "the transfer of children from one national group to another, which certainly means assigning forced citizenship to children, is one of the signs of genocide".
The number of young Ukrainians separated from their families and taken to Russia is unknown. The Russians themselves said that they had "evacuated" more than 324,000 children. So far, Ukraine has managed to return only a few hundred.