Evidence mounts: Russian adoption of abducted Ukrainian children
The fact that Vladimir Putin's services have taken on the task of destroying Ukrainian identity is evidenced by the kidnapping of children from that country. The newspaper "Financial Times" has just identified the case of four Ukrainian children who ended up on a Russian adoption portal. This is a war crime that the International Criminal Court prosecutes.
Originating from Ukraine, the children are between eight and 15 years old. One of them had both their name and age changed from what was recorded in Ukrainian documents. Another had a slightly modified first name. On the adoption announcement page, there was no information stating that they were from Ukraine.
The fact that these are Ukrainian children was confirmed by the child protection organization CPRC, which verified their identities. Unfortunately, the minors' relatives are afraid to speak publicly, fearing that it will cut off their children's chances of returning.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Russia in August 2022 of "the illegal transfer of over a thousand children from the Russian-controlled Ukrainian port city of Mariupol." The children were reportedly taken to Tyumen, Irkutsk, Kemerovo, or the Siberian Republic of Altai.
War in Ukraine. thousands of children have been taken to Russia
Additionally, the news portal "Prawda" reported that Russia has found a way to encourage its citizens to "adopt" children who were illegally deported from Ukraine.
Families were said to receive a one-time maternity allowance and state support. For each adopted child, the authorities promised an annual payment of 20,000 rubles (approximately 280 CAD).
According to Ukrainian intelligence, the illegal deportation of children is a form of cultural genocide. They claim that so far, since the invasion began, at least 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted.
The adoption of children kidnapped from Ukraine is overseen by the Russian Ministry of Education, which has even prepared a special program to ensure they become "model Russians." Reportedly, Vladimir Putin himself supervises this.
According to the Russian Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, Russians cannot adopt children from the "new regions." Her statements have many times proven to be outright lies.
Only guardianship or foster care are options, according to Maria Lvova-Belova.
These statements do not align with reality. Journalists from Meduza, after reviewing the Ministry of Education's reports on the "identification and placement of orphans and children left without parental care" for the first three quarters of 2023, found documents that confirmed the mass adoption program of Ukrainian children.
