Both Washington and Kiev have accused Moscow of kidnapping Ukrainian children. Russia, on the other hand, wants to have brought the children to safety from Ukrainian shelling.
Russia has dismissed US allegations that Ukrainian children were kidnapped as “absurd statements”. The Russian embassy in the United States said on Wednesday that the children and their relatives were being taken to safety from being shelled by Ukrainian forces.
The US State Department had previously accused Moscow of using a broad network to illegally transfer thousands of children to areas under Russian government control. This “deportation” is a war crime. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of kidnapping children.
On the other hand, the Russian embassy wrote that the children would be saved, according to the statement also distributed by the Foreign Ministry in Moscow. “We do everything possible to keep the underage citizens with their families – and in the event of the absence or death of the parents and relatives, to give care to the orphans.”
Mutual allegations
The Russian embassy claimed that the “Kiev regime” was responsible for the deaths and injuries of children. Last year, 153 children were killed in Donbass, which was occupied by Russian troops, as a result of Kiev’s “actions” and weapons supplied by the West. 279 children were injured.
The Ukrainian armed forces would strike civilian infrastructure with US Himar-type multiple rocket launchers, which would also hit schools, kindergartens and hospitals, the embassy claimed. Ukraine also repeatedly accuses Russian troops of shelling such civilian facilities.
Because of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, which began almost a year ago, many children are orphaned or lose contact with their parents in the course of the fighting. Millions of Ukrainians are fleeing Russian attacks.
Source: Stern
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