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India abstained from the UN General Assembly vote on a resolution urging Russia to return Ukrainian children. The resolution, titled Return of Ukrainian children, was adopted on Wednesday with 91 nations in favour, 12 opposed and 57 abstaining.
India joined several Asian and Middle Eastern countries on the abstention list. (UN Photo)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Dec 5, 2025 05:18 IST
India has abstained from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) vote on a resolution that calls on Russia to ensure the "immediate, safe and unconditional" return of all Ukrainian children allegedly deported or forcibly transferred since the war began.
The resolution, titled Return of Ukrainian children, was adopted on Wednesday with 91 nations in favour, 12 opposed and 57 abstaining.
India joined several Asian and Middle Eastern countries on the abstention list, including Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. New Delhi offered no explanation for its vote during the 11th Emergency Special Session.
RESOLUTION WARNS OVER CHILDREN'S PLIGHT
The resolution voiced "deep concern" over the impact of the conflict on children, naming the plight of Ukrainian minors separated from families since 2014. It drew attention to children transferred within Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories as well as those taken to Russia.
It demanded that Moscow "ensure the immediate, safe and unconditional return of all Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred or deported" and urged Russia to halt any further transfers, deportations, separations, or changes to personal status, including through citizenship, adoption or foster placement.
UN members stressed that accountability must follow any investigation into forced transfers or deportations, in line with international law. The text also criticised Russian legislative and administrative measures introduced since 2022 to "simplify" citizenship procedures for Ukrainian children, especially orphans or those without parental care.
Presenting the resolution, Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa said that 6,395 children had been deported or forcibly transferred as of October 2025. She added that over 20,000 cases were under investigation. "Each of these cases is a tragedy for a family, a community, and for Ukraine," she told the Assembly.
RUSSIA REJECTS 'MENDACIOUS' ACCUSATIONS
Russia sharply objected to the draft. Moscow's Deputy Permanent Representative Maria Zabolotskaya told the Assembly the text was filled with "mendacious accusations", insisting that claims of humanitarian law violations were "baseless".
She argued the resolution ignored situations where children were evacuated from combat zones or had lost contact with relatives due to the fighting. Such cases, she said, "in no way can be regarded as violations".
Zabolotskaya also defended Russia's simplified citizenship process for Ukrainian children. "The resolution expresses concern regarding a simplified procedure for Ukrainian refugees to acquire Russian citizenship. Such a procedure is something that refugees around the world would dream about, especially if, as is the case under the Russian legislation, they are not even obliged to renounce their Ukrainian citizenship, not to mention the fact that the procedure is purely voluntary," she said as per news agency PTI.
She added that "each vote in favour of the resolution is a vote in support of lies, war, and confrontation, while each vote against is a vote for peace".
UNGA President Annalena Baerbock reminded member states that the Assembly had consistently called for Russia's full withdrawal from Ukrainian territory since the invasion began in February 2022.
"That is why the question of returning Ukrainian children cannot be viewed in a vacuum, for this issue would neither have arisen nor persisted without the Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine," she said.
- Ends
Published By:
Satyam Singh
Published On:
Dec 5, 2025
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