Russia is giving Ukrainian children Russian passports and putting them up for adoption in violation of the "fundamental principles of child protection" in wartime, the head of the UN's refugee agency said.
Speaking after a six-day tour of Ukraine, Filippo Grandi said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had asked his agency to "do more" to help children from occupied regions to whom this was happening.
"Giving them [Russian] nationality or having them adopted goes against the fundamental principles of child protection in situations of war," Mr Grandi said in an interview at the UNHCR offices in Kyiv.
"This is something that is happening in Russia and must not happen," he said.
Mr Zelenskyy, after meeting Mr Grandi on Wednesday, called for mechanisms to "defend and return" children and adults deported to Russia since its invasion of Ukraine last February, as well as to punish those responsible.
Mr Grandi said his agency was unable to estimate the number of children who had been given passports or put up for adoption, as access in Russia was extremely limited.
"We are seeking access all the time, and access has been rather rare, sporadic and not unfettered," he said.
In Moscow, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Mr Grandi of being silent when children died as a result of what she said was Ukrainian shelling in the Donbas region after pro-Moscow separatists declared independence in 2014.
"I also wish such officials from the UN had taken note of the colossal humanitarian assistance" that Russia had provided to inhabitants of the region, she told reporters.
Mr Grandi highlighted two potential future trends in Ukraine's displacement crisis, which saw eight million people flee abroad and several million more become internally displaced.
More refugees could return in the warm season, as happened in 2022 when the agency observed "hundreds of thousands" of returnees at the end of the summer — although that movement was halted by the onset of the cold.
Ukraine's typically icy winter has been made harsher still this year by Russian missile strikes against energy infrastructure, leading to outages of power, water and heat.
"We have seen returns drop considerably, long or short, in the winter months ... coupled with a very slight increase with people getting out of the country," he said.
He also warned that and increase in fighting could trigger a new wave of refugees, although these are likely to mostly be internal.
"What we have seen in the last few days is not very promising in this respect, everybody foresees that there will be a rise in hostilities, an escalation ... and this is likely to generate a more displacement."
Mr Grandi painted a bleak global outlook, predicting that the number of displaced people, currently at 103 million, would "almost inevitably" grow in the coming years if the UN Security Council continued to be divided on key issues.
He also urged countries to process prospective asylum seekers more quickly in order to stop unfounded asylum claims from clogging up the system.
"Don't drag it out! Because dragging it out means that people abscond, they disappear, they become illegal immigrants, and then it's a big problem because nobody knows how to send them back," he said.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
Points tally
1. Australia 52; 2. New Zealand 44; 3. South Africa 36; 4. Sri Lanka 35; 5. UAE 27; 6. India 27; 7. England 26; 8. Singapore 8; 9. Malaysia 3
Trippier bio
Date of birth September 19, 1990
Place of birth Bury, United Kingdom
Age 26
Height 1.74 metres
Nationality England
Position Right-back
Foot Right
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Company%20profile
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The%20specs
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Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
