Russians have adopted 386 deported Ukrainian children – ombudsman

Russia continues its narrative of "saving" Ukrainian children from alleged Kyiv's bombing of its territories, abducting thousands of young people in an unknown direction.

Ukraine's Children's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets says 386 children were adopted and put in various Russian families.

We have confirmed data on 386 children. It has been established that they were placed in a Russian family, either the procedure has been launched or the adoption procedure has been completed, the ombudsman said.

Lubinets emphasized that terminology matters, as there are nuances in whether it is an actual adoption or a temporary guardianship.

Maria Lvova-Belova [Russia's Children's Ombudsman] herself said at a meeting with Putin that she had adopted a child from Ukraine. She admitted her crime. Adoption of children from countries that are in a state of international military conflict, which is what the war is called, is prohibited under international humanitarian law, the Ombudsman noted.

After receiving a Hague-issued arrest warrant, Lvova-Belova claimed that she had not adopted a Ukrainian child but had allegedly taken him under temporary protection.

These terms are very important to us. We have to establish the legal fact that Russians are adopting Ukrainian children. Then this clearly falls under the signs of the war crime of genocide, which should be treated as a war crime committed by the highest military and political leadership of Russia, Lubinets said.

Ukraine has recently brought back 11 children. Among them are six kids deprived of parental care, and five have families. The youngest child is two years old, and the oldest is 16.

The Kremlin-appointed commissioner for children's rights Maria Lvova-Belova claims that Russia has "evacuated" about 4,8 million Ukrainians since the start of the all-out war. Among them were more than 700 thousand children who allegedly had no parents.

According to official data of the Ukrainian authorities, from February 24, 2022, Russia has deported 19,546 children. Currently, only 386 children are back home.

President Volodymyr Zelensky and Bartholomew I, the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, discussed the implementation of Ukraine's peace formula and the return of the children kidnapped by Russian troops.

Ukraine's Representative to the UN Serhii Kyslytsia said that Russia's invasion has affected all 7,5 million children. Authorities located all deported children in 57 regions of Russia.

After the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for the arrest of Russian ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian authorities changed their tactics of deporting Ukrainian children.

Russian authorities began to use new definitions in official documents so that no one could accuse them of kidnapping. Rubryka found out which ones.