Kathrine Frich
War crimes are not exceptions, they are a method. That is what Ukrainian human rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk says in an interview with TV 2, warning that Europe is underestimating how systematically Russia uses suffering as a weapon.
She points in particular to the thousands of Ukrainian children taken to Russia since the 2022 invasion and calls it an attempt to erase Ukraine through its next generation.
“You don’t have to kill everyone”
The list of alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine is long: the massacre in Bucha, torture of prisoners of war and forced deportations of civilians. According to TV 2, Oleksandra Matviichuk describes this as a deliberate strategy.
– If you want to destroy a people, you don’t have to kill them all. It is enough to force them to change their identity. That is why Russia is targeting Ukrainian children, because children are the future of every nation, she told TV 2.
Matviichuk heads the Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine. In 2022, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work documenting Russian abuses. Since then, the organization has collected more than 100,000 cases of alleged war crimes, according to TV 2.
Her message is clear:
– Russia uses war crimes as a deliberate method of warfare. They instrumentalize suffering and inflict enormous pain on civilians in order to break resistance and occupy the country.
Accuses Russia of genocide
Using the word genocide carries heavy legal implications. Russia is not currently charged with genocide in international courts.
But Matviichuk stands by her assessment.
– For twelve years we have documented how Russia bans the Ukrainian language, destroys cultural heritage and forcibly transfers children to camps where they are indoctrinated or placed in families where they are raised as Russians, she told TV 2.
Under the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, the forcible transfer of children from one group to another is considered an act that can constitute genocide.
Researchers at Yale University estimate that more than 19,000 Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia since the full scale invasion began in 2022. Ukrainian authorities cite the same figure and have published a database of missing children.
According to Yale, the children have been placed in Russian orphanages, adopted or sent to military training. Particularly vulnerable groups include orphans, children with disabilities, children from low income families and children whose parents serve in the Ukrainian military.
– You don’t have to be a lawyer to see that Russia is trying to erase Ukraine through its children, Matviichuk told TV 2.
ICC has issued arrest warrants
Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, has openly spoken about the adoption of Ukrainian children and about having adopted a boy from Ukraine herself.
In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for both Lvova-Belova and Russian President Vladimir Putin on suspicion of the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.
“I have thousands of stories in my head”
As the numbers grow, there is a risk that the children become statistics. Matviichuk told TV 2 that she sometimes fears mixing up the stories.
– I am afraid of confusing the stories, because I have thousands in my head.
She recounts the story of Yevhen Mezhevyi from Mariupol. After being interrogated by Russian forces, he was sent to a so called filtration camp. His three children were taken to Russia and were close to being adopted by three different families.
Five days before the planned relocation, his 13 year old son Matvei managed to send a message to relatives in Ukraine. The father was released, and after extensive efforts the family was reunited.
– Not everyone has that kind of luck, Matviichuk told TV 2.
Reports of abuse and suicide
According to Matviichuk, Russia argues that the children were “rescued” from the war. She rejects that claim.
– Many Russians live in extreme poverty. For some families, adoption can be a way to earn money. The children are then not protected from physical or sexual violence, she told TV 2.
She also mentions a teenage boy, Oleksandr, who she says was separated from his sister and adopted. He allegedly tried several times to flee back to Ukraine and later took his own life.
– I am convinced that we cannot fully understand the horrors Ukrainian children go through in these families, she said.
“A new generation of Putin soldiers”
Nearly four years have passed since the full scale invasion began. The hope of bringing all the children home is fading, Matviichuk says.
– Russia is creating a new generation of Putin soldiers by taking away the children’s identity and forcing them into military service.
According to The New York Times, researchers have documented cases in which Ukrainian children were sent to military training and political reeducation in Russia.
That is why she calls for increased international pressure, not only for Ukraine’s sake.
– Putin launched the full scale invasion because he sees Ukraine as a bridge to the rest of Europe. If he succeeds in moving forward, the Russian handbook for war crimes will be used in other countries, she told TV 2.
She adds:
– Our fight for justice is not only a fight for Ukrainians. We are also trying to prevent the next Russian attack on the next country.
