Ukraine appoints three experts following the invocation of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism

On 14 May 2026, and following consultations with Ukraine, 41 OSCE participating States invoked the Moscow Mechanism “in relation to the militarization and indoctrination of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation”. More specifically, the tasks of the mission of experts will include those detailed below.*

Ukraine has now selected three experts from the Moscow Mechanism list to be part of the mission.

The OSCE Moscow Mechanism provides the opportunity for participating States to send ad hoc missions of independent experts to assist in the resolution of a particular question or problem relating to the human dimension, which entails the commitments made by participating States on human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Further information is available here.

In relation to Ukraine, the Moscow Mechanism was last invoked by 41 participating States following consultations with Ukraine in July 2025, “to address the ill treatment of prisoners of war by the Russian Federation amidst human rights violations and humanitarian impacts of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”

Any information relevant to the work of the Moscow Mechanism can be sent to the following email address: moscowmechanism-ukraine2026@odihr.pl 

All submissions will be forwarded in confidence to the expert mission. Information for consideration of the expert mission should be submitted as early as possible, and ideally no later than 19 June 2026. The mailbox will remain operational until the completion of the mission of experts, on 22 June.

The 41 countries that invoked the Moscow Mechanism on this occasion are: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

*To “build upon previous findings and to:

1. Establish the facts and circumstances surrounding possible contraventions of relevant OSCE commitments, and violations and abuses of IHRL and IHL, related to the militarization and indoctrination of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation, including in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and including in the context of forcible transfer and/or unlawful deportation;
2. Collect, consolidate and analyse information on these practices, including patterns of coercion, intimidation, repression, unlawful deprivation of liberty, illegal adoptions, ill-treatment, and other forms of violence affecting children;
3. Further, collect, consolidate and analyse information on the legislative framework adopted by Russia for this purpose, and the school curricula imposed on Ukrainian children in the temporarily occupied territories;
4. Assess whether such practices indicate a coordinated and systematic policy aimed, inter alia, at erasing Ukrainian identity of children, including through their illegal adoptions as well as alteration of their nationality, and conditioning children for service to the occupying power;
5. Assess the impact of these practices on the rights of Ukrainian children, including the rights to life and development, health, education, family life, equality and non-discrimination, and protection from all forms of violence, and provide recommendations on urgent protective measures, prevention, and accountability pathways;
6. Offer recommendations on relevant accountability mechanisms, including how OSCE participating States and OSCE institutions can support documentation, child protection, return and reintegration efforts, and international co-operation to end impunity for crimes against children.”