Wisconsin has become the first state in the nation to introduce a resolution formally condemning Russia’s abduction and forced deportation of Ukrainian children, marking what advocates called a moral and historic stand for human rights.
The joint resolution, announced on October 16 at the Wisconsin State Capitol, denounces what lawmakers and humanitarian groups describe as a deliberate campaign of cultural erasure carried out through the mass transfer of children from occupied Ukrainian territories to Russia and Russian-controlled regions.
The initiative was led by Nova Ukraine, a California-based nonprofit that provides humanitarian aid and awareness programs, in partnership with Wisconsin Ukrainians Inc., a Milwaukee-area organization supporting the state’s growing Ukrainian community. The two groups worked with a bipartisan coalition of state legislators to bring the measure forward.
“We are here to mark a historic moment,” said Aleksandr Krapivkin, associate director of community engagement for Nova Ukraine. “Wisconsin is becoming the first state in the nation to introduce a joint resolution condemning the abduction and forced deportation of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation.”
Krapivkin said his organization partnered with Wisconsin lawmakers to ensure the issue remained visible to the American public. He cited estimates from the Ukrainian government and international monitors that nearly 20,000 children have been abducted, though the true number “may be significantly higher.”
“These children aren’t just displaced by war,” he said. “They are being systematically separated from their families, placed into Russian institutions, or adopted by Russian families under changed identities. They are stripped of their Ukrainian identity. Their names are changed, and they are forbidden from speaking Ukrainian. This is genocide under international law.”
The resolution declares the forced transfers as acts of genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention and calls for accountability for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and his government. Lawmakers said the measure was designed to send a message that moral leadership should not be limited by geography.
“Some might ask, why should Wisconsin take a stand?” Krapivkin said. “Because the abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia is an unconscionable act that demands our attention and action. This resolution affirms Wisconsin’s commitment to human rights and justice.”
Following his remarks, Halyna Salapata, president of Wisconsin Ukrainians Inc., said the resolution represented more than a symbolic gesture — it was a collective act of conscience.
“For us, this is not just a political or legal issue, it’s a human one,” Salapata said. “Behind every number is a child, a little boy or a girl with a name, a face, and a family waiting, praying, and hoping for their return.”
Salapata, a mother of three, described the measure as both personal and urgent. “No parent should ever endure the fear of not knowing where their child is, whether they are safe or even alive,” she said. “That is why Wisconsin Ukrainians worked together with Nova Ukraine and with the support of Wisconsin lawmakers to bring this resolution forward. Silence is complicity. And today, Wisconsin is choosing not to stay silent.”
State Senator André Jacque, R-De Pere, said the action was a statement of moral clarity amid ongoing atrocities.
“We are here to speak out clearly and unequivocally against the ongoing abduction and forced adoption of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation,” he said. “What we are witnessing is not rescue, it is the calculated erasure of identity. Let us call it what it is — a war crime.”
Jacque said the resolution reflects bipartisan resolve to hold Russia accountable for violations documented by international bodies, including the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants for Putin and his commissioner for children’s rights.
“These children have been taken from their families, their communities, and their country under the false pretense of evacuation or rescue,” Jacque said. “Children are being stripped of their names, their language, their citizenship, and in some cases placed into Russian families and told they are someone else entirely. This is not just child abduction — this is cultural erasure.”
Jacque’s remarks were followed by Representative Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, one of the resolution’s lead Assembly authors, who thanked the Ukrainian community for bringing the issue to his attention and to the statehouse.
“It says something when individuals come to your district and meet with you personally to recruit your participation in their efforts,” Knodl said. “I’m a father four times, a grandfather six times, and I can’t imagine the pain these parents and grandparents are going through in Ukraine.”
Knodl emphasized that the measure was not a partisan effort.
“Abducting children is not a partisan matter,” he said. “We have great bipartisan support here, and we’re leaders in Wisconsin in these types of efforts.”
Citing United Nations definitions, he added, “The forcible transfer of children is an act of genocide. Wisconsin stands with the court and calls for the safe return of these children and accountability for those responsible.”
State Senator Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, said the resolution showed how local action could resonate beyond state lines.
“In a war that’s happening thousands of miles away, it can sometimes feel helpless that there’s limited ability to do something,” Larson said. “Well, we are doing something here today in the state capitol — in a bipartisan way — and that is 100 percent due to the actions of folks who wanted to see this happen.”
Larson called the abductions a “deliberate and systematic policy of a corrupt government,” noting that Russia has taken over 260,000 Ukrainian children to 43 camps across Russia and occupied Crimea.
“They are targeting vulnerable children — those from orphanages, those with disabilities, or the children of parents deployed in the military defending their homeland,” he said. “Russia has tried to conceal their whereabouts, changing children’s names and citizenship, and integrating them into Russian society.”
He said the International Criminal Court’s March 2023 arrest warrants for Putin and the Russian commissioner of children’s rights confirm the international community’s recognition of these crimes.
“Our shared American values tell us that we must speak out,” Larson said. “This resolution emphasizes which side America stands on when it comes to corrupt authoritarians who threaten global peace.”
Representative Patrick Snyder, R-Wausau, who chairs the Assembly Committee on Children and Families, said the issue struck him on a personal level.
“You can just imagine the terror of these young lives,” Snyder said. “Children separated from their parents — some orphaned, some simply kidnapped, abducted in occupied territories — are now living in a foreign system, subjected to ideological indoctrination, and in some cases, even military training.”
He said the anguish of Ukrainian families “is an indictment of the Russian regime’s cruelty.” Calling on Moscow to comply with international law, Snyder urged that “every Ukrainian child be accounted for, and every family reunited.”
Representative Chris Sinicki, D-Milwaukee, made an emotional appeal while speaking at the press conference.
“When an issue involves kids, it kind of chokes me up,” she said. “The Russian government has torn children from their families – babies, toddlers, young teens – and sent them across the border to erase who they are. Let’s be honest — this isn’t just an act of war. It’s an act of cruelty.”
She said Wisconsin’s action must inspire others to follow.
“These children, who should be playing soccer, going to school, being tucked in at night by their parents — instead, they’ve been taken, stolen, to be re-educated, renamed, and told to forget their families, their language, and their country. The world cannot stay silent.”
The press conference concluded with advocates urging continued pressure on Russia and inviting the public to visit War Up Close, a virtual reality exhibition installed at the Capitol’s North Hearing Room.
Developed by Mykola Omelchenko and other Ukrainian photojournalists, the immersive display reconstructs bombed schools, shattered neighborhoods, and the human cost of the war through panoramic imagery.
“This resolution is about giving a voice to those who cannot be heard,” Krapivkin said. “It sends a message to the world that Wisconsin will not be silent or complicit.”
Lawmakers said that the resolution would be formally introduced in the Legislature on October 17. Participants of the press conference said they hoped other states would follow Wisconsin’s lead.
Salapata also urged the public to contact their state representatives to show support for passing the resolution and continue to stand with Ukraine.
“Let this be the beginning of a larger movement across our country,” added Salapata. “One that says we will not look away from crimes against children, no matter where they happen, and no matter who commits them.”
© Photo
Lee Matz
