Russia Accused of Creating Online Catalog for Adoption of Ukrainian Children

Ukraine has condemned the creation of an online platform by Russian occupation authorities that features detailed listings of Ukrainian children available for adoption.

The Gaze reports this, referring to a post by Mykola Kuleba, head of the Ukrainian NGO Save Ukraine.

The website, operated by the Russian-controlled education department in the occupied Luhansk region, includes profiles of at least 294 children. 

The listings allow users to filter by physical attributes such as eye color, hair color, and age, as well as personality traits like “obedient” or “calm.”

Kuleba revealed the details, calling the database “indistinguishable from a slave catalog.” He stressed that many of the children were Ukrainian citizens born before the occupation of Luhansk, and that some had lost parents to Russian attacks. 

Others, he claimed, were abducted and had their documentation falsified to enable forced adoptions. “This is child trafficking in the 21st century, and the world must act to stop it,” Kuleba said.

The children are listed under classifications such as “orphans” or “children without parental care,” and the site promotes various guardianship options, including full adoption or foster care placements. 

Each child’s profile includes photos, gender, age, and descriptors intended to appeal to prospective adopters. Kuleba added that this online platform is part of a broader strategy to “reform” the adoption system amid a decline in demand within Russia.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukrainian authorities have documented the forced deportation of over 19,500 children to Russia or occupied territories. 

As The Gaze reported earlier, an international coalition of 38 countries, along with the EU and the Council of Europe, has issued a joint statement demanding that Russia immediately and unconditionally return all Ukrainian children.