Russia committed a war crime by removing Ukrainian children from Ukraine, according to a report by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Deportations to Russia and Russian-controlled territories can also be considered crimes against humanity, the document notes. "The exact figures remain unclear, but the fact of large-scale displacements is not disputed by either Ukraine or Russia," stressed three legal experts from Latvia, Norway, and the Czech Republic, which 45 of the 57 OSCE member states commissioned to investigate allegations against Moscow.

The OSCE called on Russia to immediately stop removing children from Ukraine and pointed out that the International Criminal Court was also investigating the issue. In March, a court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin as well as Maria Lvova-Belova, the presidential commissioner for children's rights. They are suspected of war crimes, in particular, the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.