The UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday called on Russia to allow international organizations to visit children and other civilians “who were forcibly deported” from Ukraine to Moscow-controlled territories, AFP reports.

The resolution adopted on Tuesday calls on Moscow to “stop the illegal forced transfer and illegal deportation of civilians and other protected persons to Ukraine or the Russian Federation (…), especially children, including in institutions, unaccompanied children and children separated from their families”.

The UN Human Rights Council also decided to appoint Bulgarian human rights defender Mariana Katsarova to monitor the situation inside Russia.

In September, the Council decided that a special rapporteur for Russia had become necessary due to increased repression in that country.

The text was adopted with 28 votes in favor, 17 abstentions and two votes against (China and Eritrea).

According to Kyiv, 16,221 children were deported to Russia as of the end of February, and the UN Commission was unable to verify the data.

This issue was at the center of discussions during more than five weeks of the Council session, the Ukrainian mission and its allies made numerous statements on this issue.

In addition, the resolution calls on Russia to provide representatives and employees of international humanitarian and human rights organizations with “unimpeded, immediate, permanent and safe access, to provide reliable and complete information on the number and location of these civilians and to ensure their dignified treatment and safe return.”

The resolution also calls on Russia to provide “unimpeded, immediate and sustained” access to all prisoners of war and other “illegally detained” persons.