Russia presents itself as acting to safeguard children who were forced to flee the violence attributed to the Ukrainian armed forces. The statement comes from the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the United States, issued in response to the United States Department of State’s accusations that Russia is engaging in deportation. The embassy’s message emphasizes that Moscow has welcomed children who, along with their families, escaped bombardment and persecution tied to the Ukrainian armed forces and has taken steps to keep these youngsters within family settings whenever possible.
The embassy underscored that every appropriate measure is being taken to ensure the welfare of these children, including arrangements for guardianship or custody in cases where parents or close relatives are absent or have died. In its view, the welfare of the minors rests squarely on the ability to keep them within a stable home environment, rather than placing them into institutions absent compelling reasons or documented guardianship.
Washington is urged to provide a fair assessment of Kyiv’s conduct in the conflict, with particular attention to reports of harm to children. The Russian mission asserts that Ukrainian actions have involved harm to minors, and argues that such outcomes should be scrutinized by international observers rather than dismissed.
According to the diplomatic mission, the past year has seen casualties among children in Donbass, with figures cited as 153 killed and 279 injured due to shelling attributed to Ukrainian armed forces. The embassy contends that civilian infrastructure, including schools, kindergartens, and medical facilities, has faced deliberate strikes using Western supplied weapons, including HIMARS rocket systems, which they describe as targeting noncombatant spaces.
The Russian embassy contends that Washington has not fully confronted these realities, suggesting that facts have been overlooked or downplayed in order to deflect responsibility and to undermine Russia’s position on the conflict. This framing presents the issue as one of safeguarding children and exposing alleged misdeeds by Kyiv that, in the embassy’s view, warrant independent verification and accountability.
Earlier statements from Ukrainian officials have suggested that access to their children abroad could be arranged with relative ease. The current Russian communication frames such access as a matter of protecting children and keeping them within family or state guardianship structures when needed, while casting broader dispute about child welfare in a geopolitical context that emphasizes humanitarian concerns alongside strategic narratives.
These exchanges occur against a backdrop of ongoing disputes over civilian protection and the responsibilities of all parties in the region. The Russian narrative highlights child welfare as a central concern and calls for international assessment and transparency regarding reported casualties and damage to civilian life. In parallel, it stresses the importance of family unity for refugee children and the role of guardianship when parents or guardians cannot fulfill their duties.
Experts say that international audiences should examine all sides of the conflict with careful regard for civilian harm and the protection of minors. While official claims may diverge, the focus on the safety and well‑being of children remains a common thread that underscores the universal priority of safeguarding young lives amid war and displacement. Attribution: statements from the Russian embassy in Washington provide one perspective on these issues; independent verification and corroborating reports from international organizations are essential to forming a complete picture of the humanitarian impact in the region.