As of 4 May 2022, the hotline of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Parliament of Ukraine received search requests for 1,889 missing Ukrainian children.
The Ombudswoman Lyudmila Denisova stated this at a meeting with the international non-governmental organization "Save the Children" delegation.
"The russian occupiers intend to give Ukrainian orphans and children deprived of parental care to russian families for adoption using a simplified procedure. After that, the documents proving the Ukrainian origin of the children will be destroyed," - she wrote on Facebook.
Lyudmila Denisova added that in russia and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, Ukrainian children are forced to study the russian language, which is destroying their national identity.
Besides, the russians intensify the militarization of Ukrainian children in Crimea and certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. There are already two victims among the students of the so-called "cadet corps" forced by the occupiers to participate in the war against Ukraine.
"All these actions of the rf are defined as a genocide of the Ukrainian people," - emphasized the ombudswoman.
As of today, the number of Ukrainian children affected by the russian military aggression has grown to 407.