Donald Trump / Photo: Depositphotos
Kherson, Ukraine – A civilian brigadier general, volunteer and head of a children’s rehabilitation centre, Volodymyr Sahaidak has survived the occupation, hidden children from the Russian military and witnessed a tragedy that seemed to be gaining international recognition. But now – with Washington’s new political decision – he feels powerless again.
After former President Donald Trump cut off funding for a Yale University research programme that documented Russia’s crimes against Ukrainian children, Sahaidak asked a painful question: “Will anyone be punished?”
In February 2022, when Russian troops entered Kherson, Sahaidak quickly distributed more than 50 children from his centre among relatives and staff to avoid deportation. However, several teenagers who were studying at the vocational school were still taken to the occupied territory. He recalls how one day in June, masked Russian security forces came to the centre, seized documents and searched his office. The cameras recorded their actions. The fate of some of the children is still unknown.
According to Ukraine, more than 19,500 children were taken to Russia or the temporarily occupied territories without the consent of their parents or guardians. Kyiv classifies this as a war crime and an act of genocide under the UN Convention. In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Ombudsman for Children’s Rights.
The Yale project has become a key source of documentation of child abductions and helped build the evidence base for international tribunals. However, now, due to Trump’s decision to cut off funding, its continued existence is under threat.
“I am furious. One politician has undone the work of dozens of people.”
– Sahaidak said. He also recalled how excited he was to hear the news of the ICC warrants, but was disappointed when the Trump administration went into conflict with the court by sanctioning prosecutor Kareem Khan over another case involving Israel.
“If this continues, Putin will go unpunished,” Sahaidak concluded.
The White House refused to comment on how the suspension of support for the Yale project would affect efforts to hold Russia accountable. In a statement after the talks in Saudi Arabia, the US only noted that it would continue to seek the return of the abducted children, but did not provide any details.
Inna Kholodniak, chief physician of the Kherson Regional Children’s Hospital, said that during the occupation she tried to hide children from the Russians by changing diagnoses in medical records. All but two of the children from one of the orphanages who were admitted to the hospital were saved. One of them is Ilya Vashchenko, a two-year-old boy whom the Russians, according to Reuters, took to Crimea and issued him a new birth certificate.
“I feel hatred and contempt for Russians,” Kholodnyak admitted.
When asked whether they believed in justice, Kholodniak and Sahaidak gave different answers. “I have always believed and believe in the triumph of goodness and justice,” said Kholodniak. Sahaidak was less optimistic:
“Until Ukraine becomes a powerful state, no one will be punished.”
These words are the bitter truth behind the numbers and diplomacy. Behind them are the children whose names are replaced by numbers. And the adults who are still trying to get them back – despite all the political decisions that do not play on the side of justice.
