HRES 564
Calling for the return of abducted Ukrainian children before finalizing any peace agreement to end the war against Ukraine.
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Bill overview
This resolution calls on the United States to prioritize the return of Ukrainian children who have been abducted and forcibly transferred to Russia, Belarus, or occupied Ukrainian territory. It highlights the significant number of reported abductions and the Russian government’s efforts to erase Ukrainian identity from these children. The resolution urges a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine while emphasizing the urgent need to repatriate these children before any final peace agreement is reached.
Key provisions
- Condemns the Russian Federation’s abduction and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children.
- Notes the increased risks of exploitation and harm faced by Ukrainian children due to the war.
- Supports a peaceful and just conclusion to the war in Ukraine.
- Urges the return of all abducted Ukrainian children before finalizing any peace agreement.
Who is affected
- Ukrainian children
- The Government of the Russian Federation
- The Republic of Belarus
- The United States Government
Notable changes
- The resolution specifically addresses the forced adoption of Ukrainian children by Russian families.
- It references the Russian government’s changes to adoption laws to facilitate the abduction and placement of Ukrainian children.
- It cites the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report regarding Russia’s involvement in child soldier recruitment and human trafficking.
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Primary sponsor
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119th CONGRESS — 1st Session
H. RES. 564
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
RESOLUTION
Calling for the return of abducted Ukrainian children before finalizing any peace agreement to end the war against Ukraine.
Whereas the United States Government is working to bring an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine and restore peace in Europe;
Whereas, as of April 16, 2025, Ukrainian authorities have received at least 19,546 confirmed reports of unlawful deportations and forced transfers of Ukrainian children to the territory of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, or Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory;
Whereas, as of April 16, 2025, Ukraine and its partners have managed to return 1,274 abducted Ukrainian children from the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, or occupied Ukrainian territory;
Whereas Russia’s abduction and Russification of Ukrainian children demonstrates the intent of the Government of the Russian Federation to erase the Ukrainian nation and identity;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has changed its adoption laws since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 for the purpose of forcibly adopting children abducted from Ukraine in order to raise them as Russian citizens, erased of their Ukrainian names, language, and identity;
Whereas, on June 16, 2022, Russian authorities announced that children born in occupied Ukrainian territories after the February 24, 2022, invasion will be deemed Russian citizens, in violation of Ukrainian law and the Fourth Geneva Convention;
Whereas the Department of State’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report found that Russia recruits or uses child soldiers as defined under the Child Soldiers Prevention Act, is documented as having a state-sponsored policy or pattern of human trafficking, and is among the worst hubs for human trafficking in the world;
Whereas the United States has sanctioned at least 32 individuals and three entities of the Russian Federation and its occupying forces and the Republic of Belarus for being involved in the abduction and re-education of Ukrainian children and human rights violations of Ukrainian minors;
Whereas Maria Lvova-Belova, Children’s Rights Commissioner for the President of Russia, admitted to abducting and forcibly transferring Ukrainian children and facilitating forced adoptions to Russian families;
Whereas the unlawful deportation or transfer of protected people constitutes a grave breach of the Geneva Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, Article 147, done at Geneva August 12, 1949;
Whereas forcibly transferring children of one group to another group is a violation of Article II(e) of the Genocide Convention, of which the Russian Federation is a party; and
Whereas hundreds of thousands of children still reside in the occupied territories of Ukraine, where they face attempts at Russification by occupation authorities; Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives—
condemns the Government of the Russian Federation’s abduction, forcible transfer, and facilitation of the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children;
notes with concern that the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has significantly increased the risks of children being exposed to human trafficking and exploitation, child labor, sexual violence, hunger, injury, trauma, deprivation of education and shelter, and death;
supports bringing the war in Ukraine to a peaceful and just conclusion; and
urges that all Ukrainian children abducted by the Government of the Russian Federation be returned before finalizing any peace agreement.