Europol identifies 45 Ukrainian children taken to occupied territories, Russia, Belarus

Europol said this in a press release on Monday, April 20, Ukrinform reports.

In total, information about 45 children was uncovered and shared with Ukrainian authorities to assist their ongoing investigations.

This initiative saw 40 experts from 18 countries, the International Criminal Court as well as non-governmental partners working together in The Hague.

The participating open-source intelligence experts compiled 45 reports which include valuable information potentially leading to the locations of deported children, such as

This includes transportation routes, persons who enabled the deportation, military units linked to the deportation of Ukrainian children, and the camps or facilities where children were brought to.

The multinational initiative is aimed at assisting ongoing investigations by the Ukrainian authorities, who have documented the forced transfer or deportation of what is estimated to be more than 19 500 children from occupied territories to Russia or Belarus.

Some of these children have been adopted by Russian nationals, while others are being held in re-education camps or psychiatric hospitals.

As reported, Belarusian state television said that authorities had sent a group of children recently brought from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories to train with Belarusian military personnel, including evacuation drills in case of fire.

Photo: Europol