Russia denies abducting children and says it has evacuated them from war zones. Lvova-Belova has portrayed herself as saving Ukraine’s children, and has publicly said she took a boy from Mariupol and raised him to be a “patriot.” In interview quoted by German broadcaster Deutschlandfunk, he also said that 390 children had been sent to foster families in Russia after one operation.
Human rights experts suspect that the children are being re-educated, including being forced to speak Russian instead of Ukrainian.
Di Rocco said the known cases may be only part of the total. “We don’t know the full extent of it,” he said. The number, he added, may be higher than what the Ukrainian authorities have written.
Europol’s findings show some children have been placed with Russian families, while others have been sent to camps or institutions where they can be re-educated. In some cases, there are signs that older youths have been sent to the front line.
“The only limit is our imagination,” Di Rocco said of the possible forms of exploitation.
Alexander Dinger is WELT’s investigative editor. Philipp Woldin is a reporter for WELT.
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