Updated

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution urging EU countries to recognise Russia's deportation of Ukrainian children as genocide, with 536 votes in favour, 8 against and 37 abstentions. The resolution says the children's return must not be used as a bargaining chip in peace talks and demands their immediate, safe and unconditional return to Ukrainian government-controlled territory. It cites the UN Genocide Convention, which treats forcible transfer of children with intent to destroy a group as genocide. Ukrainska Pravda reported the call. The resolution cites more than 20,600 confirmed cases of deportation and forcible transfer as of September 2026, and says 2,752 children had been returned as of 28 October. MEPs estimate that about 1.6 million Ukrainian children remain in Russian-occupied territories, where they face systematic Russification, indoctrination and militarisation. The Council of the EU imposed sanctions on 28 September 2026 on 10 more individuals and 17 organisations involved in the deportations. In May 2025 Parliament had already described the actions as a "genocidal strategy".