Ukrainian human rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk has called Russian President Vladimir Putin the "biggest child kidnapper in the world," as more than 19,000 Ukrainian children have reportedly been abducted and deported to Russia for reeducation and forced adoption.
Matviichuk condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin on Newsmax, Wednesday, for orchestrating the abduction of more than 19,000 Ukrainian children since the start of the war in February 2022.
In an interview on "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," Matviichuk said Ukrainian children are being held in what she described as "Russian reeducation camps," where they are told they are not Ukrainian but Russian.
Many are then forced to be adopted by Russian families, regardless of whether their biological parents or relatives are still alive and searching for them. "It's still going on," Matviichuk said, adding that the situation remains a critical issue for Ukrainian society.
The forced adoption process is particularly devastating for younger children, Matviichuk explained.
"When we speak about very small children, Russian adoptive families have the right to change their name, place, and date of birth. Even if these children have parents, those parents will have no chance to find them in such a huge country as Russia," she said.
Matviichuk, who heads the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Center for Civil Liberties, is documenting the abductions and working to hold those responsible accountable.
"We fight for justice to return people and children back [to Ukraine] and to make war criminals accountable," she said.
She also linked the abductions to a broader Russian strategy to rebuild its empire. "Putin wants to achieve his historic goal. He wants to restore the Soviet empire," she said, warning that Putin's ambitions extend beyond Ukraine.
"They are afraid only of strength. We must demonstrate strength. And when I say we, I mean Ukraine and democratic countries because it's not just a war between two states, Russia and Ukraine. This is a war between two systems, authoritarianism and democracy," she said.
Kyiv has condemned the abductions as a war crime, accusing Russia of violating international laws on child protection. The Ukrainian government estimates that approximately 20,000 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-controlled territories since the invasion began, a figure that meets the U.N. treaty definition of genocide, Reuters reported.
While Moscow claims it is merely protecting vulnerable children from the conflict, Ukrainian officials are determined to bring the abducted children home.
"We will never stop our efforts to return these children back. It's our children. They have parents. They have families," Matviichuk said, underscoring the profound emotional impact of the issue on the Ukrainian people.
"We will never give up," she said.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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