Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has refuted allegations that 20,000 Ukrainian children were abducted by Russia, labeling the claim as politically charged and unfounded.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, Zakharova explained that the children in question were relocated from conflict areas to places of safety, and that Moscow has taken steps to reunite them with their families.
“As we can see, there are no 20,000 kidnapped children in reality.
“Ukraine has not only failed but has not even tried to prove this data with documents.
“It has not provided specific facts, lists of the children, or data from parents or legal representatives who were looking for them,” she said.
She accused Ukrainian authorities of manufacturing the figures and criticized them for their lack of action in substantiating the accusations.
“Why has nothing been done by the Kyiv regime over these years? Because it was all lies,” she said.
Zakharova emphasized that Russia was “rescuing children by taking them out of the shelling zones to safe places,” and described the operation as “really successful.”
What you should know
Maria Zakharova, representing Russia’s Foreign Ministry, insists the 20,000-child kidnapping claim is untrue. She maintains the children were moved from conflict areas for safety and accuses Ukraine of presenting unverified and politically motivated allegations without supporting evidence.
