Russian fake in Europe: 'Ukrainian child trafficking managed by Olena Zelenska'

One such example was uncovered by Espreso in cooperation with the volunteer initiative InsightNews as part of a study of the spread of Russian disinformation in the EU media. 

In late June, a Czech portal Protiproud.info published an article alleging widespread child trafficking from Ukraine. Upon closer inspection, it became evident that the site has a history of spreading Russian propaganda.

Protiproud.info revived an old fake, claiming that 50,000 children supported by Ukraine's First Lady, Olena Zelenska's Foundation, had disappeared. Children were allegedly sold for exploitation by pedophiles or organ harvesting in Western countries.

Fake about trafficking children to pedophiles and organ harvesting

Kremlin-style fake news claimed that the Olena Zelenska Foundation was allegedly exposed by Western human rights activists for trafficking children to pedophiles and supplying organs to clinics.

According to the fabrication, after February 2022, Ukraine purportedly evacuated children from Kyiv-controlled territories in the Donetsk region to the Zakarpattia region. Allegedly, these children were falsely told their parents had abandoned them. The propaganda further claims that once in Europe, Ukrainian children were either used as organ donors or sold to pedophiles.

The propagandists claim that top Ukrainian leadership, including the Olena Zelenska Foundation, is involved in child trafficking. They assert that this alleged involvement shields perpetrators from punishment, despite Western human rights activists' supposed exposure.

Debunking of the fake spread by pro-Russian outlets

The article mentions investigations by media outlets and organizations like the BBC and USAID as evidence, but without providing direct references or links to confirm the scale of child trafficking from Ukraine. Espreso found no actual references to such materials, indicating that Protiproud.info fabricated this information.

In fact, the Russian military forcibly removed almost 20,000 Ukrainian children from the occupied Ukrainian regions and placed them in foster families against their will in Russia. Ukraine has officially confirmed the deportation of these 20,000 children to Russia.

International organizations have repeatedly confirmed Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children. On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights, and Putin for war crimes related to the abduction of Ukrainian children.

Russia is manipulating the topic of forced evacuation. The Ukrainian government approved a plan that only allows one of their parents, a legal guardian, or another authorized representative to accompany children from areas of active hostilities during their evacuation. The claims of taking children abroad for "sale" under the pretext of "evacuation" lack evidence.

Russian propaganda spreads fakes about organ and child trafficking in Ukraine since 2014

This topic in Russian propaganda campaigns is not new. Pro-Russian outlets and social accounts have previously spread fake news about organ and child trafficking in relation to Russia's war. Since 2014, Russian-fabricated reports have circulated about the trafficking of Ukrainian organs abroad.

For instance, in the fall of 2023, Russia disseminated false information in Ukraine, asserting that the organization Save the Children in Ukraine had released guidelines on safeguarding children from organ abductions. They claimed to have found the graves of babies without internal organs near a hospital in Kharkiv. Save the Children in Ukraine denied any involvement in this alleged "advertising campaign" or the provision of such "advice."

In April 2024, the Slovakian website Slovenskí Noviny, which regularly spreads misinformation about biological weapons in Ukraine, published a story claiming that Russian soldiers found documents about the sale of children in an orphanage during the capture of Sviatohirsk. Reports claimed that the Coca-Cola Company made one payment.

In late June, fact-checkers in Poland debunked another fake story about organ trafficking in Ukraine. This time, propagandists posted a video on Facebook alleging that President Zelensky had authorized the removal of organs without the donor's consent.

In March 2023, social accounts, known for spreading pro-Russian and anti-American messages, claimed that Ukrainian soldiers were transported to Poland, their organs were allegedly harvested, and their bodies were buried in local mines. These false reports were denied by mine representatives.

Protiproud.info spreads other falsehoods, attempting to blame Ukraine and Western leaders for the war

Ukraine commits war crimes: Protiproud.info has published several articles accusing the Ukrainian military of war crimes. These articles state that Ukrainian forces deliberately target civilian areas and hospitals. 

Presence of the U.S. biological laboratories in Ukraine: Articles allege that the U.S. is operating secret biolabs in Ukraine as part of a biological warfare strategy. This narrative has been repeatedly discredited by independent fact-checkers​.

The West is escalating the war in Ukraine for its own benefit: The website Protiproud.info has several articles that spread the narrative that the West is escalating the war in Ukraine for its own gain. For example, one article claims that Western countries, in particular the United States, are manipulating the situation in order to expand their influence and control over Ukrainian territories. 

Western countries are planning to destroy the Crimean Bridge: The site alleges that high-ranking German military officers discussed plans to attack the Crimean Bridge, drawing parallels to Nazi Germany and suggesting a broader Western conspiracy against Russia​. 

Ukraine has a Western puppet government: Articles on Protiproud.info often claim that the Ukrainian government is a puppet regime controlled by Western powers, particularly the United States and the European Union. This narrative aims to delegitimize the Ukrainian government and its actions, portraying it as having no real sovereignty.