The Security Service of Ukraine has documented new war crimes committed by ‘officials’ of russia’s occupation administration in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region, who are involved in the mass deportation of Ukrainian children to russia.

These include a russian citizen, Mikhail Kushakov – the so-called ‘former minister of education and science of the DNR’ – and two of his accomplices:

• Aleksei Kulemzin, head of the ‘DNR Donetsk city administration’;
• Raisa Prylypko, director of Children’s Home No. 1 Teremok, which was seized by the occupiers.

On February 18, 2022, acting on orders from the kremlin, the suspects organised the illegal removal of 35 children aged 4 to 6 from the Donetsk Preschool Children’s Home No. 1 Teremok to Rostov region, russia.

As the investigation established, the kids were placed in various social institutions in the aggressor state.

Subsequently, with the assistance of russia’s senior military and political leadership, 12 Ukrainian children were illegally transferred to russian citizens under the guise of guardianship.

In doing so, the suspects grossly violated the provisions of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, which prohibits the forced displacement or deportation of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the occupying power.

Based on evidence collected by the SSU, the three ‘officials’ have been notified in absentia of suspicion under Article 28.2 and 438.1 of the CCU – war crimes, committed by a group, by prior conspiracy.

Since the culprits are in hiding in russia and in the temporarily occupied part of Ukraine, efforts to bring them to justice for crimes against our state are ongoing.

The investigation was carried out under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office.