Russia denied data on the forced removal of children from the territory of Donbass in 2014. As the authorized representative of the Russian Federation in the European Court of Human Rights Mikhail Vinogradov stated, the children left the territory accompanied by adults and on a voluntary basis.
Earlier, Ukraine filed a complaint with the ECtHR on this topic. The document states that on June 12, July 26 and August 8, 2014 from Donbass during the escalation of the conflict in the east of Ukraine, children were massively exported.
Vinogradov pointed out that the children were taken out accompanied by adults and the Convention on the Rights of the Child was not violated. In addition, Ukraine’s appeal immediately to the ECHR, bypassing domestic remedies, makes this complaint unacceptable and unfounded, the human rights activist is sure.
According to Vinogradov, the children were evacuated from the shelling zone solely for the purpose of saving lives and health. This is confirmed by a letter of guarantee from the Consul General of Ukraine in Rostov-on-Don, Vitaliy Moskalenko, in which the consular office assumed responsibility for the safety and health of children.
Ukraine has filed several lawsuits with the ECtHR against the Russian Federation, they concern Crimea and Donbass. Russia denies them and calls the accusations unacceptable, emphasizing that it is not a party to the conflict in Donbass.