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An inquiry by the Financial Times (FT) on June 12 highlighted that four children who were forcibly taken from Ukraine and transported to Russia during the outset of the conflict were potentially listed for adoption on a Russian government-associated website, usynovite.ru.

Official statements reveal that since the commencement of Russia’s intensified aggression against Ukraine, over 19,500 children have been kidnapped by Russian forces, with fewer than 400 managing to return home. This information is corroborated by the Ukrainian administration’s database.

Through utilizing facial recognition software, public data, and testimonies from families of the missing youths, the investigation by the FT managed to locate four Ukrainian kids on the adoption portal usynowite.ru. These children, ranging from ages eight to 15, were taken from Ukrainian orphanages.

Modifications were observed in the children’s identity presentations, with one of them having a reinvented Russian name and altered age, and another bearing a Russified variant of their original name. The listings did not disclose their Ukrainian origins.

The genuine identities of these children have been confirmed by the Ukrainian Child Rights Protection (CPRC), a state agency, as reported by the FT.

While the relatives of these children have opted not to make public statements out of concern that it may hinder opportunities for the children’s repatriation, the incidents of kidnapping and the operation of the adoption site have become items of concern.

Reports, including one from the Guardian dated Feb. 4, advise that Ukrainian minors forcibly moved to Russia are being subjected to deliberate indoctrination by Russian officials.

In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) initiated arrest warrants for Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova given their alleged roles in the forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russian territories.