DEPORTATION OF UKRAINIAN CHILDREN BY THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AS AN INTERNATIONAL LEGAL DELICT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29038/2524-2679-2024-02-307-321Keywords:
deportation, armed conflict, crime against humanity, war crime, crime of genocide, international criminal law, International Criminal Court, Rome StatuteAbstract
In the article, a detailed analysis of existing international legal acts regarding international criminal responsibility for deportation, including the deportation of children, is conducted. It is identified that the mass and systematic deporta- tion of children during an armed conflict, carried out by the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, exhibits characteristics of three of the most serious international crimes under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court: crimes against humanity, war crimes, and geno- cide. It is noted that the Ukrainian side should continue to strive at the inter- national level, including the international legal level, for the recognition of the deportation of Ukrainian children as genocide. Special attention is given to the features of international criminal responsibility for the deportation of children, the legal status, and jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. The steps already taken towards holding Russian Federation officials responsible for the deportation of Ukrainian children are analyzed. The prospects of making a final decision on this matter and the possibilities for its enforcement are considered. At the same time, it is noted that the prospects for the actual enforcement of a future ICC verdict are quite dubious, as the Russian Federation is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and has veto power over any of its deci- sions. Special attention is given to the study of existing international legal reg- ulations on the responsibility of states for their internationally wrongful acts. The ineffectiveness of the existing mechanism for holding not only individual persons but also states accountable for such international crimes as the depor- tation of children, which cannot be committed without the involvement of the entire state apparatus, is identified. Based on the results of the study, several problematic aspects of the existing international legal regulation and the cur- rent system of international relations in the researched field are highlighted, and recommendations for overcoming them are formulated. Further scientific research in this direction is seen in the study of the problem of social support and rehabilitation of children who have returned from the Russian Federation after forced deportation.
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