Thousands of children have been deported to the Russian Federation or transferred to occupied areas in Ukraine by Russian authorities, according to the Commission. It has so far verified the deportation or transfer of over 1,200 children from five regions in Ukraine.Shortly before the full-scale invasion, the Russian authorities undertook large-scale relocations, which they justified as “evacuations” due to the risks of the armed conflict. But the Commission found that four years later, 80 per cent of the children from the documented cases have not been returned. This contravenes international humanitarian law, under which evacuations can only be temporary for compelling reasons of health, medical treatment or safety.“The deportation and forcible transfer of children is a grave violation of international law,” said Erik Møse, Chair of the Commission. “Children must never be separated from their families coercively.”Russian authorities have coordinated legislative, administrative, and practical measures to facilitate deportations, transfers and subsequent placement of children in families and institutions in the Russian Federation. Some of these measures were adopted in the days preceding the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion.The evidence collected demonstrates that authorities acted pursuant to a policy conceived and executed at the highest level of the Russian Federation’s leadership. The involvement of President Vladimir Putin, and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, has been visible from the outset. This policy has been implemented by authorities and institutions across various branches of power at central and regional levels in the Russian Federation, as well as in the occupied territories in Ukraine.Russian authorities have systematically failed to disclose the whereabouts of the children to parents or legal guardians and have kept children in a coercive environment making their return to families almost impossible. Instead of establishing a system facilitating the return of children, Russian authorities placed them under long-term arrangements with families or institutions in 21 regions of the Russian Federation and in the occupied territories. They systematically granted Russian citizenship to the children whom they deported or transferred and their profiles were also placed on adoption databases.Families and children had to take it upon themselves to locate one another. The returns that could be organized occurred after obstacles, delays, and security risks. Four years on, most of the families are still looking for their children, resulting in lengthy separations, distress and suffering. This amounts to the war crime of unjustifiable delay in the repatriation of civilians. The Commission further investigated the conduct of trials by courts in the Russian Federation and in Russian occupied areas of Ukraine. During the trials, Russian authorities systematically presented evidence that was fabricated by use of torture. Civilians and prisoners of war were deprived of fundamental fair trial guarantees, as the guilt of the accused was presumed from the outset demonstrating the lack of independence and impartiality of the courts. The Commission found that the Russian authorities committed grave breaches of international humanitarian law, which constitutes war crimes.The Commission has continued to document cases of sexual violence committed by Russian armed forces. In one case, a girl as young as 13 years was the victim of rape. In another, a woman had a child as a result of rape.The Commission also investigated the circumstances of nationals from 17 countries recruited to fight with Russian armed forces in Ukraine. It found that many had been deceived and lured from abroad through promises of civilian employment or other lucrative arrangements. They were coerced to sign contracts written in Russian, which they did not understand, and sent to the frontline without necessary training. The Commission interviewed 85 soldiers who had served in the Russian armed forces in connection with the fighting in Ukraine and subsequently deserted. Most testified about violent practices arbitrarily ordered or tolerated by commanders, including executions, beatings, and detaining soldiers in pits or tying them to trees. Their accounts demonstrate a total disregard for human life and dignity. As for Ukraine, the Commission recalled the prevailing legal uncertainty surrounding the overbroad definition of “collaborative activities” in Ukrainian criminal legislation. It highlighted that the crime’s scope could encompass actions that do not threaten national security. Analysing rulings of the Supreme Court of Ukraine on this issue, the Commission found that when considering lawful activities under international humanitarian law, the Supreme Court failed to take into account that body of law, which obliges the Occupying Power to ensure that essential services in territories under their control continue to be provided to the civilian population.   Finally, the Commission documented violations reported during mobilisation for the Ukrainian armed forces. These include irregular administrative detention, lack of access to a lawyer, and hurried examinations by military medical commissions that ignore possible underlying medical issues. Instances of violence have been recorded against conscientious objectors, who were taken by force to recruitment centres and military bases, regardless of expressed readiness to carry out alternative civil service.    Background: The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine is an independent body mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to, among other things, investigate all alleged violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, and related crimes in the context of the aggression against Ukraine by the Russian Federation. The Commission comprises Erik Møse (Chair), Pablo de Greiff and Vrinda Grover.The Commissioners were appointed by the President of the UN Human Rights Council; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights Office provides support to the Commission of Inquiry, the commissioners serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organization, including the UN. Any views or opinions presented herein are solely those of the mandated commissioners.For media requests and queries, please contact: Saule Mukhametrakhimova, Media Adviser, Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, saule.mukhametrakhimova@un.org, or (+43-1) 26060-83450 or (+43-676) 3493464; or Todd Pitman, Media Adviser for the UN Human Rights Council’s Investigative Bodies: todd.pitman@un.org / +41766911761; or Pascal Sim, Human Rights Council Media Officer: simp@un.org.

These facilities, which collectively serve approximately 500 000 patients each year, continue to face persistent challenges in ensuring uninterrupted and safe medical care amid the ongoing war and frequent disruptions to electricity and water supply.The equipment is designed to strengthen resilience by ensuring compliance with hygiene and sanitation standards, supporting infection prevention and control, and enabling continued operation of health facilities even during prolonged utility outages.  Hospitals that cannot stop This winter, Ukraine’s energy crisis, caused by attacks on critical infrastructure, has put a serious strain on the uninterrupted functioning of health facilities. As a result, this delivery has been crucial for many hospitals.“There was a period when the hospital operated for more than 2 days without electricity and a centralized water supply. Even with our status as a critical infrastructure facility, we are not protected from outages. That is why water reservoirs and water heaters are critical for us,” says Nataliia Vizer, Medical Director of a hospital in Zhovti Vody, Dnipro region. Every day, the hospital serves around 150 inpatients and nearly 800 outpatients, with medical care provided by 395 staff members, including doctors, nurses, and junior and administrative personnel.In such conditions, water is not a matter of comfort. It is the very foundation of safe, life-saving quality care. Critical for maternity wards A reliable water supply is particularly vital for the maternity ward, where more than 250 births take place each year. Uninterrupted access to hot water is essential to maintain hygiene and safety standards for mothers and newborns, especially in wartime conditions.“Thanks to water reserves and water heaters, we are able to maintain infection control, ensure the operation of the children’s kitchen and keep facilities clean, even during prolonged blackouts,” notes Tetiana, Head Nurse in the paediatric department at the hospital in Zhovti Vody. The equipment received also significantly improves the hospital’s preparedness for emergency situations. “It allows us to maintain continuity of critical processes and ensure the safe operation of the hospital when utility systems fail,” adds Serhii Lobodenko, Deputy Head of the hospital.  A matter of life and deathIn Ukraine’s frontline regions, access to water, hygiene and safe waste management is not merely about meeting standards, it is a matter of life and death.That is why, with the financial support of ASEF and the Japanese government, the WHO Country Office in Ukraine continues to provide hospitals with the supplies, equipment and training necessary to ensure access to essential health services. “This support reflects our commitment to strengthening the resilience of essential public services in times of crisis. Safe access to water, sanitation and hygiene is fundamental to health security and the uninterrupted functioning of hospitals, especially in frontline regions. We are pleased to support the WHO Country Office in Ukraine in ensuring that health facilities can continue to operate safely and protect both patients and health-care workers under extremely challenging conditions,” said ASEF Executive Director, Ambassador Beata Stoczyńska.

This year’s report highlights alarming trends in cyberbullying, one of the top concerns expressed by children themselves.  A recent poll carried out by her Office with over 30,000 children across all regions found that 66% think that cyberbullying has increased, and 1 in 2 children do not know where to and how to report and get support.AI is fundamentally transforming the threat. The rapid advancement and accessibility of generative artificial intelligence is reshaping cyberbullying, making it faster, more targeted, harder to detect, and capable of spreading across multiple platforms at a massive scale. It enables deepfakes, automated targeting, and the manipulation of children through chatbots and other tools they often over-trust and cannot distinguish from real human interaction.AI-generated deepfake photos and videos, including through “nudification” apps, are increasingly used to humiliate, threaten and exploit children online.Children don’t report cyberbullying easily because they face stigma, because they don’t know where to report, they fear being rejected by their peers or being judged by adults. Its impact can be immediate and devastating, causing psychological distress and lasting reputational harm in seconds. In the most tragic cases, it can drive children to take their own lives.Many actions are undertaken to tackle cyberbullying, at global, regional and national levels, but they are still piecemeal and not duly articulated.Dr. Maalla M’jid stressed the need to involve all actors of the child online protection ecosystem, including, governments, industry, educators, families, children and youth. It is the only way to design a multistakeholder framework aiming to protect children from online harm while enabling safe digital participation. She stressed the urgent need to ensure that child safety and privacy by design is embedded across all platforms and the AI value chain.Dr. Maalla M’jid highlighted the important role of children and young people who must be empowered with critical thinking and digital citizenship, and involved in the responses, as expressed by a child consulted by her Office: "Digital spaces must not become places where harm is reported but never resolved. They must be places where help comes quickly, safely, humanly. Do not design the digital future for children. Design it with us."The report on violence against children is available here. The child-friendly version is available at the link. 

VIENNA, 26 February (UN Information Service) – The health and wellbeing of people worldwide have been protected by international cooperation through the framework of the drug control conventions, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) says in its 2025 Annual Report. The collective action of States has played a vital role in lessening the social and economic harms of illicit drugs, the report says.The President of the International Narcotics Control Board, Professor Sevil Atasoy said: “Tackling the trafficking and misuse of drugs while ensuring the availability of essential medicines has been carried out effectively over the last 60 years through the drug control conventions, a robust framework for working together with almost universal support. Our role is to reinforce the cooperative efforts of countries and territories through our work.”States have understood that the most effective way to protect their citizens and provide for their medical and scientific needs is through coordinated and universal action. The three international drug control conventions provide a common approach for taking joint measures to address the world drug problem.International success storyUnder the conventions Governments need to provide INCB with information to enable it to effectively monitor the licit cultivation, production, manufacture and consumption of and trade in controlled substances with a view to ensuring their availability for licit purposes while preventing their diversion. Due to the efficiency of this system of estimates and assessments, the level of diversion of licitly produced controlled substances into illicit channels is very low and the diversion of licitly produced psychotropic substances into illicit channels has virtually stopped, which are unheralded international success stories.The estimates system has proved to be effective because it applies to all states, regardless of their status as parties or non-parties to the conventions.Operational platforms with real-time information sharing Real-time, data-driven information-sharing services on shipments of chemical substances likely to be used in illicit drug manufacture are offered to Governments by INCB. These tools help to minimize the risk of diversion to illicit drug manufacture while ensuring the smooth and efficient conduct of international trade in controlled precursors.Through the PEN platforms developed by INCB, Member States are notified in advance of planned exports of internationally scheduled precursor chemicals or of shipments of precursors that are not under international control but have been used to illicitly manufacture drugs.The INCB platform PEN Online (Pre-Export Notification Online) was used in March 2025 to prevent the diversion of 3 tons of a fentanyl precursor which was only scheduled in the 1988 Convention in December 2024. If the shipment had not been stopped, it could have been used to illicitly manufacture an estimated 1.4 to 3.3 tons of fentanyl.The INCB secure online PICS platform boosts real time communication and information sharing between national authorities on incidents concerning illicit laboratories, precursors and related equipment. The International Import and Export Authorization System (I2ES) allows countries to securely exchange electronic import and export authorizations for narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, eliminating the need for physical documents which reduces the risk of fraudulent authorizations.Cooperation beyond GovernmentsINCB uses its mandates and unique convening powers under the relevant international drug control conventions to enable voluntary international cooperation among Governments, their enforcement agencies including police, customs, postal and regulatory authorities and relevant private sector partners.For example, the GRIDS programme addresses the trafficking in dangerous substances not scheduled under the conventions. Nearly 200 Governments, territories and international partners such as the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Universal Postal Union (UPU) use the GRIDS tools and resources to strengthen coordination and enhance the exchange of intelligence.Partnerships with the private sectorClose cooperation is also needed with private sector manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers and retailers in the chemical industry for an effective precursor control system. More than 100 global companies in 19 different sectors regularly share information on emerging synthetic drugs and chemicals with Governments through the GRIDS programme.In addition, INCB encourages public-private partnerships with key sectors that are exploited by drug traffickers such as e-commerce, social media, marketing, payment and financial services, freight forwarding and postal and express courier services.Access to pain relief medicines and their affordability is still a problem for low-and middle-income countriesDespite the overall sufficient supply and stable global stocks of medicines for pain relief requirements as reported by Governments, unequal access to affordable opioid analgesics is a persistent issue. Many countries continue to report difficulties in procuring medications containing morphine.Increasing the availability and affordability for low- and middle-income countries of psychotropic substances used for several health conditions, including epilepsy, would also benefit global health.Regional threats and trendsA wide variety of drugs can now be found in Africa, with consumption rising. Cocaine traffickers are targeting the region, but the main concern is trafficking in pharmaceutical opioids, including substandard ones.In North America, while the number of synthetic drug overdoses has decreased both in Canada (by 17 per cent) and the United States (by 27 per cent), it is too early to assess whether this is a sustained trend.The cocaine market in South America is the fastest-growing illicit drug market, with increased production leading to a market expansion across Asia and Africa.In East and South-East Asia methamphetamine remains the dominant synthetic drug threat, with record seizures. South Asia continues to be the largest consumer market for opioids worldwide, comprising one third of the globally estimated number of people who used opioids. Opium poppy cultivation remained at a historic low in Afghanistan, with 10,200 hectares used for illicit cultivation in 2025.Cocaine trafficking to Western and Central Europe has dramatically increased in recent years as evidenced by the widespread availability of the substance and the total amount seized. The illicit manufacture of synthetic drugs in Europe is expanding and the proliferation of new psychoactive substances continues to pose a significant challenge.Drug trafficking in Oceania through Pacific Island States to Australia and New Zealand continued at unprecedented levels. Drug use has surged as a critical public health and social concern across the Pacific, particularly in Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga.Working together to deal with the world drug problemINCB President Professor Sevil Atasoy said: “Protecting the health of people around the world from the dangers of illicit drugs is a common and shared responsibility. The international drug control system relies on the willingness and capacity of countries to work together.”The Board recognizes the positive steps taken by countries to work together across borders and the progress made by States in implementing the conventions. INCB continues to encourage further international cooperation in combating drug-related challenges to achieve effective national action.Background information: INCB is the independent, quasi-judicial body charged with promoting and monitoring Government compliance with the three international drug control conventions: the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1988 Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Established by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, the thirteen members of the Board are elected in a personal capacity by the Economic and Social Council for terms of five years.For further information, please contact: INCB Secretariat; Tel.: (+43-1) 26060-4163; Email: incb.secretariat@un.org