Russia Creates Online Catalog of Abducted Ukrainian Children

Russian occupation authorities have created an online catalog listing Ukrainian children abducted from occupied territories such as Luhansk, Donetsk, and Crimea, allowing users to 'choose' children based on photos and physical traits like eye and hair color. The website categorizes children with descriptions such as 'obedient' and 'calm,' drawing widespread condemnation as modern child trafficking. Most of these children were born before the Russian occupation and held Ukrainian citizenship, with some having parents killed by occupying forces or having documents altered to legitimize their abduction. Since 2014, around 19,456 Ukrainian children have been forcibly taken to Russian families, with only a fraction returned. The catalog is hosted by the Russian-controlled education department in Luhansk and serves as disturbing evidence of Russia's systematic child abduction and trafficking practices. Ukrainian officials and the NGO Save Ukraine have called for urgent international action to stop this exploitation and return the children to their families.