Condemning the illegal abduction and forcible transfer of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation.

H. Res. 149 In the House of Representatives, U. S., March 19, 2024. Whereas, on January 12, 1951, the Convention on the Pre- vention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (com- monly known as the ‘‘Genocide Convention’’), of which the Russian Federation is a party, came into effect; Whereas, on February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation es- calated its eight-year-long occupation of sovereign Ukrainian territory by launching an unprovoked large- scale invasion of Ukraine; Whereas, on March 9, 2022, Russian Forces attacked a ma- ternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of 5 individuals and injuries to 17 other individ- uals; Whereas, on March 22, 2022, the Ukrainian Foreign Min- istry announced that the Russian military had illegally abducted and forcibly transferred 2,389 Ukrainian chil- dren from temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine; Whereas, on June 2, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that 200,000 children are among the Ukrainians who have been forcibly transferred to Russia; Whereas forcibly transferring children of one group to an- other group is a violation of Article II(e) of the Genocide Convention; 2 •HRES 149 EH Whereas Maria Lvova-Belova, Children’s Rights Commis- sioner for the President of Russia, admitted to abducting and forcibly transferring Ukrainian children and facili- tating forced adoptions to Russian families; Whereas Ukrainian authorities have stated that a number of the abducted and forcibly transferred Ukrainian children have families who remain in Ukraine, but have been sepa- rated due to the renewed Russian invasion; Whereas, on June 16, 2022, Russian authorities announced that children born in occupied Ukrainian territories after the February 24, 2022, invasion will be deemed Russian citizens; Whereas, on June 22, 2022, the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner verified that at least 320 children have been killed since Russia’s re- newed invasion began; Whereas, on July 11, 2022, United Nations Secretary Gen- eral Anto´nio Guterres ordered an investigation into the deaths and injuries of Ukrainian children; and Whereas, on July 13, 2022, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken issued a statement calling upon Russia to ‘‘im- mediately halt its systemic filtration operations in Ukraine’’, which have caused the disappearance, deten- tion, or forcible deportation of between 900,000 and 1,600,000 Ukrainians (approximately 260,000 of whom are children): Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— (1) declares that the abduction and forcible transfer of children and facilitation of illegal adoptions is con- 3 •HRES 149 EH trary to Russia’s obligations under the Genocide Conven- tion and amounts to genocide; (2) further declares that the Russian Federation is attempting to wipe out a generation of Ukrainian chil- dren, thereby crippling Ukraine’s ability to nurture the next generation of Ukrainian citizens and leaders and to rebuild their country after Russia’s unprovoked war, with the purpose of demolishing Ukraine’s unique lan- guage, culture, history, and identity; (3) notes with concern that the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has significantly increased the risks of children being exposed to human trafficking and exploitation, child labor, gender-based violence, hun- ger, injury, trauma, deprivation of education and shelter, and death; and (4) holds the Government of the Russian Federa- tion, under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, responsible for the wrongful and illegal abduction and forcible trans- fer of children from Ukraine and officially condemns these actions in the strongest terms. Attest: Clerk.