Russia Refutes Claims Of Abducting 20,000 Ukrainian Children

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has rejected accusations that Russia kidnapped 20,000 Ukrainian children, calling the claims unfounded and politically driven.

Addressing journalists during a press briefing on Wednesday, Zakharova maintained that the children were relocated from areas affected by conflict to safer locations and that Russian authorities had made efforts to reunite them with their families.

“As we can see, there are no 20,000 kidnapped children in reality.

“Ukraine has not only failed but has not even tried to prove this data with documents.

“It has not provided specific facts, lists of the children, or data from parents or legal representatives who were looking for them,” she said.

Zakharova went on to accuse the Ukrainian government of inventing the figures and neglecting to pursue any official steps to support its allegations.

“Why has nothing been done by the Kyiv regime over these years? Because it was all lies,” she said.

She insisted that Russia was acting to protect children from harm by removing them from dangerous areas, stating the operation had been a success.

Russia was “rescuing children by taking them out of the shelling zones to safe places,” she said, describing the initiative as “really successful.” (RIA/NAN)