India abstained from voting in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the resolution demanding the return of Ukrainian children who were forcibly transferred and deported by Russia during the war. This draft resolution presented on Wednesday was supported by 91 out of 193 member countries, 12 countries opposed, while 57 countries abstained from voting. India, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were among the countries that abstained from voting.
The resolution, titled ‘Return of Ukrainian Children’, expressed deep concern at the impact of the war on children, and in particular the situation of children separated from their families since 2014. The resolution said that many children were forcibly taken from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories or deported to Russia.
The resolution called on Russia to ensure the immediate, safe and unconditional return of all children and to prevent any further forced displacement, separation from family, change of citizenship, adoption or ideological influence on children.
Russia called the allegations false
Russia’s deputy permanent representative Maria Zabolotskaya described the resolution as full of false allegations. He said criticism of Russia forgets that many children have been evacuated from war zones for security reasons, or have lost contact with their families.
“The simple process of granting Russian citizenship to Ukrainian refugees is a dream for refugees around the world and is completely voluntary,” he said.
Zabolotskaya said that every vote in favor of the resolution is in support of lies, war and confrontation, while against is a vote in favor of peace.
Investigation of more than 20,000 cases
Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Marianna Betsa said that by October 2025, forced transfer of 6,395 children has been confirmed, while investigation of more than 20,000 cases is ongoing.
UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said that the issue of return of children cannot be seen separately from Russia’s aggression. He reminded that from February 2022, the General Assembly has through eight resolutions demanded the immediate and complete withdrawal of Russia from the sovereign lands of Ukraine.
He said that Russia’s attack on Ukraine not only led to a prolonged war, but also had a serious impact on the entire region and global stability.
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