Jourová: Russian deportation of Ukrainian children on massive scale

The Czech deputy chairwoman of the European Commission, Věra Jourová, said on Wednesday that the forced deportation and adoption of Ukrainian children by Russians was on a massive scale. In a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg she said at least 16,000 children had been taken in this way since February last year, according to Ukrainian government figures.

Ms. Jourová said such forced deportations were a crime and would not be tolerated by the European Union.

She said the EU supported Ukraine’s efforts to investigate the matter and was committed to ensuring those responsible were held accountable.