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Russia\u2019s children\u2019s rights commissioner has spoken for the first time about accusations that the country abducted and brainwashed thousands of Ukrainian children.<\/p>\n
Maria Lvova-Belova, 38, who has \u201cadopted\u201d a teenage boy from Mariupol herself, insisted that Russia is just trying to \u201chelp\u201d them.<\/p>\n
An unknown number of orphans and children have been taken from occupied Ukraine to \u201choliday camps\u201d inside Russia and Crimea.<\/p>\n
In March, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Ms Lvova-Belova, for the alleged unlawful deportation and transfer of children. In a new documentary, Ukraine\u2019s Stolen Child\u00ad\u00adren, deported youngsters recalled how they were told they had been abandoned by their parents, were never going back, had to speak Russian, sing the Russian anthem and had their minds pois\u00ad\u00adoned against their homeland.<\/p>\n
Speaking Ukrainian was punished with three days of isolation, even for young children, they say.<\/p>\n
ITV film-makers followed desperate mothers and relatives who travelled to Russia in a bid to bring them home, with some children refusing because of indoctrination.<\/p>\n
Yet in her first interview with a British broadcaster, Ms Lvova-Belova branded the arrest warrant \u201cridiculous\u201d. She said: \u201cIt\u2019s to demonise the image of Russia, like they always do. We\u2019ll do all we can to reunite a child with their family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dismissing claims that youngsters have been indoctrinated, she said, \u201cit\u2019s not clear to me why Ukrain\u00ad\u00adians believe we\u2019re trying to eradicate Ukrainian ethnicity\u201d.<\/p>\n
She said children are given Russian citizenship as \u201cthis gives them equal rights with other \u00adchildren living here\u201d. She claims she knew nothing about children being told \u201cyou\u2019re never going back\u201d, and said she is investigating claims they were banned from speaking Ukrainian.<\/p>\n
Kostyra, 14, from Kherson, spent six months in a camp before his sister arrived to collect him.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cAt first, I didn\u2019t want to leave, as they told me that when you return to Ukraine you can be executed just because you went to Russia. They were trying to turn us against Ukraine \u2013 all the children were falling for it.\u201d Diana, also 14 and from Kherson, was in a camp for six months until her parents arrived. She said: \u201cThe Russians pretended to be our saviours but, in reality, it\u2019s just nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine Com-missioner for Human Rights, said Russia has refused to provide a list of Ukrainian children it holds. He said: \u201cWe hope the children will be returned home soon. But it won\u2019t happen with any help from Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n