Ukrainian authorities accuse Saldo and two others of unlawfully taking three students to occupied Crimea
Ukrainian investigators have notified Volodymyr Saldo and two suspects in absentia of unlawfully moving three minor pupils of the Kherson Professional Court-Building Lyceum to Crimea in October 2022. The actions were classified as war crimes committed by prior agreement as part of a group. All three children were eventually returned to Ukraine, but the date of their return has not been specified.
Pontos principais
- The alleged offence took place on 7 October 2022
- Three minor pupils were taken to Crimea without their parents' consent
- They were transported by bus to a river port and by boat to the left bank, where onward transport awaited them
- The children were first placed at the Druzhba children's camp in Yevpatoria and later moved to another camp
- In January 2023, they were enrolled without parental consent at the Kerch Marine Technical College, controlled by the occupying authorities
- The suspects are accused under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438 of Ukraine's Criminal Code
- The maximum penalty under the relevant provision is 12 years in prison
Porque é importante
The Security Service and the prosecution qualified the suspects' actions as war crimes committed by prior agreement as a group, noting that moving children without parental consent violated the prohibition on forced displacement under Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The children remained in Crimea after the holidays ended and were later enrolled in a college where they were exposed to Russian propaganda and subjected to an imposed Russian identity. The notification was issued in absentia because all three suspects are hiding in temporarily occupied territory, where they remain subject to further measures for accountability.
O que aconteceu
On 7 October 2022, Volodymyr Saldo and two accomplices allegedly organised the unlawful removal of pupils from the Kherson Professional Court-Building Lyceum to temporarily occupied Crimea. The pupils were taken by bus to a river port, then by boat to the left bank, where additional transport awaited them for travel to the peninsula. They were first accommodated at the Druzhba children's camp in Yevpatoria and later transferred to another camp; after the holidays ended, they were not sent home. In January 2023, all three were enrolled without their parents' consent at the Kerch Marine Technical College, controlled by the occupying authorities, where they were drawn into military-patriotic activities, exposed to Russian propaganda and subjected to an imposed Russian identity. Volodymyr Saldo is also reported to have instructed the occupying 'Ministry of Education' in October 2022 to organise the transfer of children from educational institutions in Kherson region, with school principals obliged to send pupils on holiday leave through announced school holidays. All three children were eventually returned to Ukraine with the involvement of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative and the Save Ukraine civic organisation, but the date of their return was not specified. The investigation was conducted by investigators from the Main Investigation Department of the Security Service under the procedural supervision of the Office of the Prosecutor General.
Como o descrevem as fontes ucranianas
Ukrainian sources give a detailed account of the movement of the children, their route to Crimea, their subsequent stay in camps and an educational institution, the promotion of Russian identity and the role of each named suspect. The legal emphasis is on the violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the qualification of the conduct under the Criminal Code provisions on war crimes. Ukrainian outlets stress that the children were taken without their parents' consent, were not returned home after the holidays, and were exposed to military-patriotic activities and Russian propaganda. The return of the children is presented as the result of cooperation between the Bring Kids Back UA initiative and the Save Ukraine civic organisation.
Onde as versões divergem
Ukrainian sources differ on who entered the fictitious or false information into the school's records: Saldo, Viktor Loginov, or both. They also present different contexts for the removal, ranging from the direct organisation of moving three lyceum pupils to a broader instruction to the occupying 'Ministry of Education' to move children from educational institutions in Kherson region.
Contexto
Viktor Loginov, a former Russian army serviceman and deputy director of the lyceum at the time of the offence, helped organise the transfer and entered fictitious or false information into the school's records to conceal it. Mykola Dolzhenko, a teacher at the occupied lyceum, accompanied the pupils throughout their route to Crimea. Reported prior convictions include an in-absentia conviction of Saldo in June 2026 to 15 years' imprisonment for issuing an order to violate the laws and customs of war, and convictions in Odesa in autumn 2023 and in summer 2025 for state treason, collaboration and organising a pseudo-referendum on 'joining' Russia.