Europol announced Monday that investigators have traced 45 Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia. The operation involved 40 investigators from 18 countries gathering in The Hague for a two-day open-source intelligence (OSINT) blitz.
The sleuths utilized publicly available information and digital tools to locate the children. Information on 45 children was uncovered and shared with Ukrainian authorities for their investigations. Europol stated that some of these children have been adopted by Russian nationals, while others are being held in re-education camps or psychiatric hospitals.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, tens of thousands of Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported to Russia. A UN commission has accused Moscow of committing "crimes against humanity" and obstructing their return. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova concerning the unlawful deportation and transfer of children.
Ukraine has managed to bring back approximately 2,000 children to date. Ukrainian authorities have confirmed around 20,000 cases, though independent estimates suggest the number could be as high as 300,000.
Returns are often mediated by third states like Qatar, South Africa, and the Vatican. Maksym Maksymov of Bring Kids Back Ukraine emphasized the importance of international cooperation in bringing children home and documenting these crimes for justice. The UN has classified the deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia as a crime against humanity and a war crime.