Belarusian Opposition Activist Provides ICC with Evidence of Forced Transfer of Ukrainian Children to Belarus
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Pavel Latushka, a Belarusian opposition activist, claims to have provided the International Criminal Court (ICC) with materials detailing President Alexander Lukashenko’s involvement in the forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to Belarus. These accusations have been angrily rejected by the Belarusian government.
Lukashenko has long been a close ally of Moscow, allowing the Kremlin to use Belarusian territory to send troops and weapons into Ukraine. He has also welcomed a continued Russian military presence in Belarus and the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons. The two countries have strengthened their economic, political, and defense ties through a “union state” project, although a full merger has not yet occurred.
According to Latushka, the materials he handed over to the ICC indicate that over 2,100 Ukrainian children from at least 15 Russian-occupied Ukrainian cities have been forcibly taken to Belarus with Lukashenko’s approval. Latushka hopes that these materials will lead to the ICC issuing a warrant for Lukashenko’s arrest, similar to the warrant issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The ICC’s prosecution office has not confirmed receipt of the materials described by Latushka. In a written response to The Associated Press, the court stated that it is duty-bound to protect the confidentiality of the information received and does not usually comment on such communications.
In March, the ICC issued warrants for Putin and his commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, for their alleged involvement in the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia. Moscow vehemently rejected these accusations.
Latushka claims that the Ukrainian children, including orphans, children with disabilities, and those whose parents had their parental rights stripped, were illegally transferred to Belarus. He alleges that Lukashenko personally signed the documents under the auspices of the Russia-Belarus union state, which provided the basis for organizing and funding the transfer of these children.
Latushka’s anti-Lukashenko National Anti-Crisis Management Group has published online statements claiming to have gathered evidence that the Ukrainian children were placed in five Belarusian summer camps and health resorts. Latushka alleges that these children underwent ideological brainwashing and “Russification” before being sent to Russia for adoption, activities that he believes could amount to war crimes.
One of the materials published online by the National Anti-Crisis Management Group is a video showing an entertainer on stage expressing wishes for the death of U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to the cheers and applause of several dozen children in the audience. The same entertainer then expresses a wish for Putin to “prosper and take control of all of Ukraine.” The circumstances in which the video was shot could not be independently verified, and Latushka’s other claims have not been substantiated.
Lukashenko has rejected Latushka’s accusations as “madness,” stating that Belarus has temporarily hosted the children to help them recover from the trauma of war. He claims to have reached out to Putin, and they have agreed to fund the children’s stay in Belarus from the state budget.
Lukashenko has denounced Latushka as a “scoundrel” and accused him of trying to manufacture an ICC case against him. Latushka was forced to leave Belarus under pressure from the authorities following Lukashenko’s controversial reelection in 2020. Lukashenko relied on Russia’s political and financial support to suppress major opposition protests.
Latushka, who now lives in self-imposed exile in Poland, has received death threats as he continues his investigation into the alleged forced transfers of children. He claims that at least four other individuals, including Dmitry Mezentsev, a top official within the Russia-Belarus union state structure, have been involved in transferring Ukrainian children to Belarus.
Documents published by Latushka’s opposition group include a letter signed by Mezentsev and addressed to the head of Russia’s national rail operator, Russian Railways. The letter requests joint organization of the transportation of children from Ukraine’s industrial east to Belarus for rehabilitation. It references a
