NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Research conducted at the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab found evidence of Russian war crimes. The evidence led to International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for children’s rights last week.
Data, Satellite imagery, and social media posts uncovered by the research team show evidence of the Russians taking Ukrainian children to reeducation camps across Russia.
“We identified in this report 43 facilities 41 of which are reeducation camps in to appear to be involved in forced adoption. We also identified at least 6000 children that have been transferred into Russia's custody in about a month after the report came out,” said Nathaniel Raymond, the Executive Director of the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University’s School of Public Health.
The team began assisting the U.S. State Department last year to search for evidence of war crimes.
“Secretary Blinken said that this report for the State Department helped with the President's determination that crimes against humanity have been committed,” said Raymond.
These reeducation camps aim to make impressionable kids and teens pro-Russia according to Raymond, “If they have a phone the phones taken. They can't speak Ukrainian they can only speak Russian they are subjected to patriotic Russian national education, including studying folktales and Russian military history, and they do a lot of singing…but more seriously in two cases We know that boys from the ages of 14 to 17 are undergoing military training.”
The research also found that some Ukrainian kids are being forcefully put up for adoption by Russian families. In some cases, the Russian government charges Ukrainian families a large amount of money to be reunited with their loved ones, but they must be reunited in Russian-controlled areas.
Sign up for the FOX61 newsletters: Morning Forecast, Morning Headlines, Evening Headlines
During a trip to Warsaw, Poland in late February President Biden said, “Extraordinary brutality from Russian forces and mercenaries. They have committed depravities, crimes against humanity, without shame or compunction. They’ve targeted civilians with death and destruction. Used rape as a weapon of war. Stolen Ukrainian children in an attempt to — in an attempt to steal Ukraine’s future.”
The team will continue to work to elevate Ukrainian voices and monitor the existing camps and look for additional camps.
Key findings of the report from Yale University can be found here.
Jake Garcia is a multimedia journalist for FOX61 News. He can be reached at jgarcia@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
---
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
----
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.