As the war in Ukraine drags on, so does the trauma facing thousands of Ukrainian children held in Russia. And now there are reports of an online catalog where some of them are being sold.
It’s been more than three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Among the victims are some 20,000 Ukrainian children taken by Russia, though many believe that number is much higher.
CBN News has shared some of their stories, and in a bold move, First Lady Melania Trump recently gave a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to return them.
“In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone — you serve humanity itself. Such a bold idea transcends all human division, and you, Mr. Putin are fit to implement this vision with a stroke of the pen today,” the First Lady wrote.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the First Lady on X, “for her attention to one of the most painful and difficult issues of this war.”
And President Trump also talked about it at the White House. “She loves children, and she hates to see something like this happening,” said Trump.
Mykola Kuleba is leading the fight to bring these children home. His organization, Save Ukraine, has rescued more than 800 so far.
“We understand that it touched her heart, and it’s very valuable for us, Ukrainians, that President Trump’s wife showed Vladimir Putin that it’s inappropriate. It is a crime for any country,” Kuleba told CBN News.
These children are reportedly being indoctrinated with Russian propaganda. Some have even been assigned Russian citizenship and adopted into Russian families. And now, Kuleba says they’re being sold online.
“We have discovered an online catalog, literally a marketplace like Amazon for human beings where Ukrainian orphans stolen from occupied territories are listed like products,” Kuleba explained. “You can filter by eye color, hair color, weight, even obedience. This is not the dark web. This is out in the open. This is the site for child traffickers and pedophiles, run under the authority of Vladimir Putin.”
Kuleba says Save Ukraine has found 300 children in this database who they’re hoping to rescue, and once they’re home, help them and their families get back on their feet through the organization’s rehabilitation program.
For now, though, he and the rest of the world are waiting for a peace deal.
“Stand with us, pray for us, for innocent children who’re being held hostage,” said Kuleba.
These kidnappings are garnering global attention. The United Nations says they constitute war crimes, and the International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest.
MORE: Russia Kidnaps 30,000+ Ukrainian Children to Erase Their Identities, Kremlin Accused of ‘Genocide’
