Side event at the UN HQ: consequences of human rights violations for civilians and children during eleven years of Russian occupation in Ukraine

The side event “Eleven Years of Russian Occupation in Ukraine: Consequences of Human Rights Violations for Civilians and Children” will take place on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York with the support of the Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the UN and the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN. The event will be held in CR-8, UNHQ, on December 2 at 13:15–14:30.

Violation of human rights of civilians, including of children, in territories under occupation and in times of conflict remains one of the most urgent challenges for the international community. For over eleven years, the Russian Federation has carried out a campaign of systemic repression in the Ukrainian territories it occupies. 

What began with the occupation of Crimea in 2014 has evolved into a broader pattern of abuses – causing thousands of deaths, disappearances, and unlawful detentions, while millions remain displaced or deprived of their fundamental rights. Among them, the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children represents one of the gravest crimes: minors are being removed from their families, subjected to militarization, indoctrination, and deprived of their cultural identity, leaving lasting psychological trauma and undermining the very foundations of their human rights and dignity. 

Continued violations threaten reconciliation, sustainable peace and recovery, while Russian state propaganda distorts the truth and manipulates perceptions around the world, threatening global security.

If left unaddressed, these practices risk setting precedents with implications far beyond Ukraine. They undermine the foundations of the international legal order, including the principles of the non-use of force and respect for territorial integrity, and challenge the ability of the United Nations – particularly in the context of the UN80 agenda – to uphold its core purposes and values. The actions of the Russian Federation risk creating dangerous norms for future conflicts, eroding global security and weakening international accountability mechanisms.

The side event aims to:

• Present new documentation of violations affecting children, women, indigenous peoples, and civilian detainees, including evidence relevant to international criminal accountability.
• Advance the right to the truth, supporting factual reporting and coordinated efforts to counter disinformation.
• Strengthen international accountability and peace-building mechanisms, including through the General Assembly, providing concrete ways to contribute to a just peace.
• Encourage UN Member States and agencies to maintain accountability and human rights protection as integral components of peace and recovery processes.

Opening remarks:

• Ambassador Andrii Melnyk, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations
• Ambassador Rytis Paulauskas, Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the UN in New York

Panelists:

• Ms. Olha Skrypnyk, Crimean Human Rights Group
• Ms. Kateryna Rashevska, Regional Center for Human Rights
• Ms. Sabina Iliasova, CrimeaSOS
• Ms. Tetiana Zhukova, Human Rights Centre ZMINA

Moderator: Mr. Scott Busby, Human Rights First

Organized by: Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the UN, Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN, Human Rights House Foundation, Human Rights House Crimea, Crimean Human Rights Group, CrimeaSOS, Human Rights Centre ZMINA, Regional Center for Human Rights.