FAKE: “Ukraine Sold 85 Children from Bakhmut for Illegal Adoption in the EU” – Foundation for the Fight Against Repression

Russian media is circulating information that allegedly Ukrainian children with disabilities and developmental issues are being illegally transported to European countries for unlawful adoption, including by same-sex couples and drug addicts. The story alleges that 85 children were taken from Bakhmut (before its occupation), supposedly for medical treatment in Europe without guardians or proper documents, exploiting the helplessness of local authorities and the absence of their parents. The propagandists reference Mira Terada, the head of the Foundation for the Fight against Repression.

However, this is false. Mira Terada is a Russian citizen who spreads Russian propaganda, not an independent international human rights advocate. There is no evidence that Ukraine is trading children from war zones.

The Foundation for Fight against Repression is an organization created by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian war criminal and founder of the Wagner Group. This group has been recognized as a terrorist organization by international bodies like the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE and individual nations such as the UK, France, and Lithuania. The U.S. government also considers Wagner a transnational criminal organization.

Initially, the foundation was supposed to combat “human rights violations in the West” and support civil activists. However, it primarily publishes pseudo-investigations aimed at discrediting Ukraine and Western countries. Previously, we debunked the foundation’s claims that Ukraine had started a forced pregnancy program to increase its population.

The so-called international human rights defender Mira Terada is also not a reliable source of information. Her real name is Oksana Vovk, and she’s a Russian citizen who was previously arrested in the U.S. on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering, after which she was deported to Russia. Now, as the head of this so-called human rights organization, she promotes Russian propaganda. To lend her more credibility and impartiality, Kremlin media portrays her as an “international expert” and human rights defender. Terada has previously spread false claims about Ukraine. For example, we refuted the statement of a “human rights activist” that Volodymyr Zelenskyi sold more than a million liters of donor blood abroad.

Terada claims that the children were listed “for sale” for fast-track adoption on the website of the NGO Milagros del Corazon. The site is currently inactive, and its Facebook page has not been updated since April 2022. The last post asked for donations to help evacuate around 60 children and 15 adults from Ukraine to Spain. Based on the website and social media posts, it’s clear that the organization was involved in intercountry adoption at least until 2022.

Such practice is generally legal. In Ukraine, the National Social Service manages intercountry adoptions. Its approval is required for any adoption involving Ukrainian children by foreigners or Ukrainians living abroad. However, during the full-scale war, the service has suspended the processing of such cases and the issuance of permits. This is due to the fact that in the conditions of active hostilities, it is impossible to ensure high-quality verification of documents and persons of foreigners who expressed a desire to adopt a child. Without these checks, there is a risk that a child could end up in an unsuitable family or fall victim to fraud or trafficking.

Moreover, children evacuated to other countries due to emergencies, including those granted refugee status, cannot be adopted as most of them are not orphans, and there’s no official confirmation of their orphan status. According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Policy, these children need temporary care with a view to possible reunification with their families, not adoption.

International human rights organizations have not published any investigations supporting the claim that Ukraine is selling children from Bakhmut. On the contrary, UNICEF has highlighted the efforts of Ukrainian NGOs to provide for children with disabilities, especially those displaced by the conflict. Ukraine, in cooperation with international organizations, does indeed send wounded children and those with serious health conditions to foreign clinics for rehabilitation and treatment. However, these children are evacuated only with a parent, legal guardian, or other authorized representative. Children under 16 can only travel abroad with parental consent and must be accompanied by a parent or an authorized guardian. There is no evidence to support claims that Ukraine is “selling children” under the guise of evacuation.

Russian narratives aim to accuse Ukraine of crimes that Russia itself commits. For instance, the 2023 U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Report notes that the Russian government makes little effort to combat human trafficking. Russia is classified as a Tier 3 country, meaning it doesn’t meet the minimum U.S. standards for anti-trafficking efforts, and sanctions can be imposed on it. Ukraine, on the other hand, is listed as Tier 2, meaning it doesn’t fully meet the standards but is making significant efforts to combat trafficking. The report stresses that Russia’s aggression is making Ukrainian refugees and internally displaced persons more vulnerable to human trafficking.

It is Russia that is abducting Ukrainian children, taking them to Russia, and forcibly placing them in foster homes. These children are kept in camps for “re-education,” where they are subjected to ideological brainwashing to instill hatred for Ukraine and loyalty to the Putin regime. Over 19,500 Ukrainian children have been confirmed as deported. President Zelenskyi has stated that the actual number is much higher. Russia’s children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova has claimed that up to 700,000 Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia. The abduction of Ukrainian children has been condemned by international organizations. According to a resolution by PACE and an OSCE Expert Mission, this is considered a war crime and an element of genocide. In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Lvova-Belova and Vladimir Putin for war crimes related to the abduction of Ukrainian children.

We’ve previously debunked similar Russian claims that children from Ukraine’s frontline territories were being sold abroad, allegedly with the involvement of Olena Zelenska’s charity foundation.