Russia forcibly deports 260,000 children from occupied Ukrainian territories - Blinken

The Washington Post reported the story.

According to Blinken, 260,000 children have been forcibly deported by Russia, some of whom were separated from their families and ended up in isolated regions in Russia's far east. According to the statement, Russian forces took thousands of children from orphanages in Ukraine and gave them up for adoption in Russia.

Reports from The Washington Post in March indicated that Ukrainian civilians had already been deported. Some were taken to Taganrog. From there they were sent by train to the cities and towns of Russia.

At the end of June, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk said that 1.2 million Ukrainians were forcibly deported to Russia, including 240,000 children. 2,000 children remained orphans. Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defense Management Center, said that 2,359,000 Ukrainian 'refugees', including 371,925 children, had moved to Russia.

Last week, the deputy head of the US mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Courtney Ostrian, said in her speech that 18 'filtration camps' were found on both sides of the Ukrainian-Russian border. Moscow reportedly stored and searched the biometric and personal data of civilians. It is noted that some Ukrainians were forced to sign agreements on staying in Russia.

The publication, referring to the words of residents of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, says that history is repeating itself. From 1941 to 1952, half a million people were deported from the Baltic countries to Russia. The purpose of the evictions was mainly political, aimed at cleansing the region of anti-Soviet forces. Among the first group of people were men of the Baltic elite, including teachers, writers, lawyers and other professionals along with their families. Later, during Operation Surf, women and children were deported and sent to work on farms. Many died on the way.