Ukrainian lawyer says evidence of child deportations to Russia exists; only will to call it genocide is missing

Ukrainian lawyer Kateryna Rashevska argues that Russia's removal of Ukrainian children from occupied territories should be recognised internationally as genocide. In her view, the evidence is already sufficient and what is missing is political will. The argument was reported on 10 October 2026 by Euromaidan Press, an English-language outlet covering Ukraine and the war.

How a child ends up in Russia

Rashevska can describe, step by step, how a single Ukrainian child disappears into Russia. According to her account, the path begins in an orphanage in an occupied territory. The child is then placed with a foster family connected to the Kremlin. After that come a re-education camp, a military uniform, and, at the age of sixteen, a draft notice.

The central question

The headline of the publication asks why the world will not use the word genocide for this conduct. As presented in the article, Rashevska's answer is that evidence is not lacking, but will is.

The portion of the source text available does not specify which documents or cases she relies on, which institutions have so far avoided such a legal assessment, or how many children have been affected. Those questions fall outside the available excerpt.