The findings, published by Yale last week, serve as the first “definitive public proof of these companies’ significant role in Russia’s systematic campaign of child deportation and indoctrination,” according to the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (Yale HRL).
Supporting these two energy giants, about 2,158 children were taken to camps in Russian-occupied Ukraine and Russia between 2022–2025, including for pro-Russian education initiatives.
Yale’s conclusions stemmed from an analysis of public statements, verified social media content, corporate websites, and official records, though Reuters has not independently verified the report’s claims.
Neither Russia’s foreign ministry nor Ukrainian authorities responded to requests for comment.
In response to a request from Reuters for clarification on the report, Gazprom stated: “Gazprom owns several health resorts in Russia where Russian children spend their summer vacations.”
Russia has consistently denied that it forcibly relocated Ukrainian children, asserting that they were removed for humanitarian reasons and dismissing earlier Yale reports as anti-Russian propaganda.
Lawyers for Rosneft claimed in a letter to Reuters that Yale’s report failed to present any evidence of illegal conduct by the company.
Also read: Russia claims full control of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine
“The report essentially seeks to implicate Rosneft in war crimes without substantiating evidence. Rosneft fully denies any direction, control, or involvement in any of the alleged activities,” the letter stated.
Role of the unions
According to Yale’s report, at least 1,072 children from Russia-occupied Ukraine received vouchers from Gazprom subsidiaries and trade unions to attend pro-Russian camps in 2022 and 2023.
Rosneft’s Interregional Trade Union sponsored 100 children from Ukraine to participate in three camps in 2022, the report noted. The Rosneft trade union did not respond to a request for comment.
Rosneft’s legal representatives contended that the union operates as a separate legal entity, independently registered under Russian law.
They also asserted that Yale failed to provide evidence that Rosneft “directed, controlled, authorized, or even knew” about the union’s activities.
According to Rosneft’s website, the company “pays special attention to strengthening the system of partnership relations” with trade unions and their subsidiaries.
Michael McFaul, a Stanford professor and former U.S. ambassador to Russia, criticized the notion of Rosneft’s union operating independently.
“Rosneft acts as an extension of the Russian government… Tragically, Putin’s regime doesn’t permit independent trade unions anymore,” said McFaul, who was Senior Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs on the National Security Council from 2009 to 2012.
United States eases sanctions
Earlier in March, the U.S. announced a temporary easing of sanctions on the sale of Russian-origin crude oil and petroleum products to tackle rising prices linked to the war in Iran.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
A bipartisan group of 12 U.S. Congress members referenced Yale’s findings in their push to reimpose sanctions on Gazprom and Rosneft, which had previously been lifted under the waiver.
Also read: UN poised to vote on diluted proposal for the Strait of Hormuz
A letter drafted by Ohio Representative Greg Landsman and shared with Reuters stated, “The recent revelation of their direct involvement in Russia’s abduction of over 35,000 children from Ukraine is a matter of grave concern.”
The letter, intended for Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, called for sanctions on 35 additional entities identified by Yale, emphasizing that the 30-day sanctions waiver for Russian oil sales is projected to yield around $12 billion in revenue for the two firms.
Russia rejects ICC’s allegations
Under international law, the forced deportation and transfer of children from occupied territories to the territory of an occupying power or any other country constitutes a war crime, irrespective of motive, and Ukraine has classified this as a crime against humanity.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova have been accused of war crimes concerning the illegal transfer of Ukrainian children.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin and Lvova-Belova for their alleged involvement in war atrocities that have occurred since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor did not directly respond to the claims made in the Yale report.
In comments sent to Reuters, it stated that it continues to receive reports concerning child deportations and maintains the right to expand cases to include new suspects “should the evidence meet the required standards.”
Russia has rejected the court’s allegations.
“Regarding the ICC’s accusations, we are unclear on what the charges are,” Lvova-Belova stated in a news conference in April 2023. “Provide us with the facts, and we will examine them. Thus far, it appears to be a farce lacking specifics and clarity.”
Yale’s recent findings follow its September statement indicating that Russia had expanded a network of camps aimed at military training, drone manufacturing, and forced re-education for Ukrainian children to at least 210 facilities.
Yale reported that children from Ukraine were taken to at least six camps in Russia and Crimea, including three camps controlled by Gazprom subsidiaries as recently as 2025, though the Kremlin did not respond to a request for comment on that report.
