The Daily Populous Wednesday July 30th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by kyivindependent.com and submitted by BreakfastTop6899

Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) has uncovered further evidence of Russia's mass abduction of Ukrainian children from occupied territories following a successful cyber operation, the agency reported on July 30.

As part of the operation, Ukrainian cyber specialists gained access to servers belonging to the Russian occupation administration of Crimea, HUR claims.

The files retrieved allegedly further confirm the organized deportation of children from Russian-occupied areas in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts.

The cache includes thousands of documents, according to HUR, such as personal profiles of abducted children, illegal guardianship appointments assigning Russian citizens as caretakers, relocation addresses, and records of children resettled throughout Russian-controlled areas.

HUR spokesperson Andrii Yusov said that the data will be used to strengthen criminal investigations and aid in returning the children to Ukraine.

"Thousands of files with invaluable information about one of the biggest war crimes of the Russian Federation — abduction of Ukrainian children — have already been transferred to law enforcement agencies," he added.

According to Ukraine's official Children of War database, at least 19,546 Ukrainian children have been confirmed to be forcibly removed since February 2022. Only 1,468 have been brought back home.

Ukrainian officials estimate the real figure could be far higher, with Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets putting the number at up to 150,000, while Children's Ombudsman Daria Herasymchuk has cited a range of 200,000–300,000.

In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children's Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, citing their personal roles in organizing the illegal transfers.

The abduction of children has remained a central issue in Ukraine's negotiations with international partners and with Russia itself.

During peace talks in Istanbul, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian officials dismissed Kyiv's appeal to return the abducted children as a "show for childless European old ladies," even as they admitted to relocating hundreds.

Ukraine has consistently identified the return of abducted children as a non-negotiable condition in any future peace agreement.

Bitter_Nail8577 on July 30th, 2025 at 13:34 UTC »

This shit will be remembered like the holocaust

North-Score-6342 on July 30th, 2025 at 13:27 UTC »

I have nothing but complete hatred for Russia as it leans.

Awkward_Bison_267 on July 30th, 2025 at 12:44 UTC »

I’m sure Trump will get right on top of them. I mean this.