Ukrainian Children Listed for Adoption in Russia
Profiles of children from the Kherson orphanage, who were taken during the occupation, have appeared on a Russian adoption website. The documents make no mention of Ukraine. The Ombudsman is calling on the international community to help return the children, according to Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner.
The case of kidnapped Ukrainian children has received further confirmation. Following a journalistic investigation, it was revealed that children from the Kherson orphanage, taken in 2022, were placed in a Russian adoption database. According to Lubinets, the profiles do not even mention that the children are from Ukraine — their origins have effectively been erased. “Profiles of Ukrainian children forcibly taken from the Kherson orphanage in 2022 have been posted on the Russian state adoption portal. These records completely omit any references to Ukraine or their true origins,” he said.
Lubinets emphasized that this is not accidental, but part of a systematic policy. Russia is attempting not just to remove children, but to change their identities. “First — forced relocation or deportation. Then — document alteration, placement for adoption, total re-education, and militarization,” the Ombudsman explained.
He added that these actions have been ongoing for years and show signs of a systematic practice. Lubinets stressed that time is critical. While discussions continue, children are growing up in foreign families under the influence of outside propaganda. “While the world hesitates, Ukrainian children grow up under the flag of the aggressor country, in an atmosphere of coercion, pressure, and fear,” he said.
According to Lubinets, children are being deprived of their language, memory, and connection to their homeland, while being forced to adopt a different identity. He called on the international community to actively participate in the process of returning the children. “Help us locate these children. Become intermediary countries,” he urged partners.
He also noted that these actions violate international law. “The forced transfer of children to another national group is a gross violation of the Geneva Convention and has elements of genocide,” the Ombudsman emphasized.
At the same time, he reported some results. Within the framework of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, 10 children from the Kherson orphanage have already been returned home. Overall, since the full-scale invasion began, Ukraine has repatriated 2,083 children. Lubinets stressed that the work continues, with the main goal being to bring every child home.
Earlier, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated that the strategic goal of the invaders is currently to capture additional territory to create a so-called “buffer zone” within Dnipropetrovsk region.
The Defense Forces of Ukraine are adjusting military training to effectively counter enemy drones and modern battlefield threats.
