What does international law owe to Ukraine´s deported children? Why is Russia’s forced transfer of Ukrainian children a defining issue for global justice?

In this episode of Lawyering Peace, Ukrainian international legal experts Dr. Yulia Ioffe and Dr. Kateryna Cherepakha join Dr. Paul R. Williams to discuss the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and Russian-occupied territories—a policy many argue constitutes genocide.

They examine the strategic, ideologically motivated nature of the deportations: re-education, forced adoptions, name changes, and the erasure of Ukrainian identity. The conversation highlights how this tactic not only breaks international law but also threatens the integrity of the rules-based international order.

Drawing on their legal and advocacy experience, Ioffe and Cherepakha reflect on the limits of current enforcement tools, the urgent need for repatriation and reintegration, and how the international community must close accountability gaps. They also explain how the legal response to these crimes could shape the future of child protection in armed conflict more broadly.

🎧 Tune in for a timely discussion on genocide, international law, and the moral and legal imperative to return Ukraine’s children.