Ukraine: The Latest ‘Imminent’ coup rumoured in Russia as Moscow internet cut off & Russia’s deportation of Ukrainian children a ‘crime against humanity’, UN says
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Mar 12, 2026 Pablo de Greiff, UN commissioner and human rights expert who led the inquiry into alleged abuses including child deportations. He discusses verified transfers of over a thousand children, how transfers began before the full-scale invasion, the legal finding of crimes against humanity, and the commission’s evidence standards and challenges to accountability.
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Deportations Were Systematic State Policy
- The UN inquiry found deportations of Ukrainian children were planned and executed systemically from the highest levels of Russian authority.
- Evidence shows transfers began the week before the full-scale invasion and involved coordinated state institutions including military transport and legislative changes.
Whole Government Machinery Facilitated Relocations
- Multiple branches of the Russian state coordinated to enable permanent placement of deported children, including military flights and changes to nationality laws.
- The Duma passed legislation to automatically grant Russian citizenship to these children, facilitating adoption and long-term relocation.
Deserters Corroborate Systematic Abuse In Russian Forces
- The inquiry corroborated testimony from 85 Russian deserters about systemic abuses within Russian forces, including executions and torture ordered by commanders.
- Deserter accounts described soldiers treated as 'disposable material' and subjected to executions and exposure to freeze to death punishments.