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Core instruments

Hague Regulations (1907)

Articles 42 to 56, the foundational law on belligerent occupation.

Fourth Geneva Convention (1949)

Civilians in occupied territory are protected persons; forcible transfer is prohibited under Article 49(1) and is a grave breach under Article 147.

Additional Protocol I (1977)

Article 77, on the special protection and care owed to children.

Rome Statute of the ICC

Deportation or transfer from occupied territory is a war crime under Articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii), and can be a crime against humanity under Article 7(1)(d).

Genocide Convention (1948)

Article II(e), forcibly transferring children of a group to another group.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Articles 7 and 38.

Key jurisprudence & mechanisms

ICC, Ukraine situation

Arrest warrants for Putin and Lvova-Belova (17 March 2023) and for Shoigu and Gerasimov (24 June 2024).

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European Court of Human Rights

Inter-state cases Ukraine v Russia, establishing Russia’s effective control over Crimea from 2014.

International Court of Justice

Ukraine v Russia under the Genocide Convention.

Ukrainian Criminal Code

Article 111-1 (collaboration), Article 111-2 (aiding the aggressor state), Article 438 (violation of the laws and customs of war).

ICRC IHL Databases

Treaty text and customary international humanitarian law.

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