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On 30 March 2023, 45 participating States of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), including Lithuania, following consultations with Ukraine initiated preparation of a new Moscow Mechanism report to address the deportation of Ukrainian children, committed by Russia during their war of aggression against Ukraine Russia's deportation of Ukrainian children in its war against Ukraine.

“We are appalled by the reports that many children are among those Ukrainian civilians forcibly transferred within parts of Ukraine’s territory temporarily occupied by Russia or deported from Ukraine to the Russian Federation, and by reports that Russian authorities undertake to re-educate and assimilate them. This may also expose them to numerous human rights violations and abuses,” – participating States have stressed in their statement.

In accordance with this initiative, a mission of experts is invited to establish possible cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity, associated with or resulting from the forcible transfer of children within parts of Ukraine’s territory or their deportation to the Russian Federation, as well as violations relating to a change of the children’s personal status, including citizenship, separation from parents or guardians, adoption, and other violations or abuses leading to forced assimilation.

This is a third time the Moscow Mechanism has been invoked to address possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine after the Russian Federation’s invasion. In cooperation with Ukraine, all European Union countries, including Lithuania, as well as Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Iceland, Montenegro, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Georgia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, have joined this initiative.

The statement of the participating State invoking the OSCE Moscow Mechanism is available here.