In Strasbourg, during the ongoing plenary session of the European Parliament, as part of the debates on violations of human rights, democratic principles, and the rule of law, a discussion took place on the return of Ukrainian children who had been forcibly displaced and deported by Russia. Speaking on behalf of the ECR Group, PiS MEP Małgorzata Gosiewska addressed the discussion.
“Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has the face of a terrified Ukrainian child. A child—a victim of bombing, a child—an orphan, a child—raped by Russian criminals, and a child brutally torn from their former life, deported, subjected to Russification, and stripped of their own identity," — said the PiS MEP.
She noted that, according to Ukrainian data, Russia has deported over 20,000 children since February 2022. She noted that the deportation and Russification of Ukrainian children constitute a violation of Article 2 of the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
“Yes! The abduction and denationalization of children is a crime of genocide, just as the German crimes against Polish children during World War II were acts of genocide,” Gosiewska emphasized. The PiS MEP recalled that of the 200,000 Polish children forcibly deported to Germany, only 30,000—15 percent—were found after the war. “A tragic statistic. Let’s not allow this to happen again. We must fight for every child!” the Polish politician urged.
Małgorzata Gosiewska also called for every official, soldier, and politician involved in these crimes to be held accountable. “With Putin and Lvova-Belova at the forefront,” she emphasized.
