Click to expand Image Kateryna Rashevska, a legal expert at the Regional Center for Human Rights (Kyiv, Ukraine), holds a picture she says depicts an abducted Ukrainian child, Washington DC, US, December 3, 2025. © 2025 Jonathan Ernst/Reuters As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year, sustained international efforts are critical to ensure accountability for grave abuses. New findings by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine underscore why its mandate should be renewed.The commission’s new report includes findings on Russian authorities’ deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia or Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. The commission verified the deportation or transfer of at least 1,205 children, 80 percent of whom have not been returned.It also found that Russian authorities have systematically withheld information about the children’s whereabouts from their parents or legal guardians and obstructed efforts to secure their return. Russian authorities instead have sought to place the children with families or in institutions in Russia. The commission concluded that these systematic acts, including deportation, forcible transfer, and enforced disappearances, amount to crimes against humanity.The commission also documented serious violations of fair trial rights for Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war before courts in the Russian Federation and in Russian occupied areas of Ukraine. It found that these courts accept fabricated evidence or testimony obtained under torture, in proceedings marked by a lack of independence and an apparent presumption of guilt.As the UN Human Rights Council negotiates a resolution during its current session to renew the commission’s mandate, ongoing abuses in Ukraine underscore the importance of continued international scrutiny.The commission’s findings echo Human Rights Watch findings of the systematic torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees, which constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. Human Rights Watch has also documented repeated indiscriminate and unlawful attacks on civilian infrastructure, and deliberate drone attacks on Ukrainian civilians, amounting to war crimes.In occupied territories, Russian authorities continue to impose Russian laws, unlawfully seize civilian property, and coerce residents to acquire Russian citizenship and serve in the Russian military. They have also imposed Russian language and curriculum in schools as part of a systematic campaign to suppress Ukrainian identity, language, and culture.The Commission of Inquiry remains a cornerstone of accountability, helping preserve evidence, identify patterns of abuse, and support future prosecutions. Human Rights Council member states should support its renewal and ensure that it has the resources needed to continue independent investigations into grave abuses in Ukraine.