Ukrainian Children Taken to Russia by Force
2022-10-19
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1Olga Lopatkina is a Ukrainian mother of six children.
2She had adopted the children, orphans who had lost their parents, legally taking them into her family as her own.
3A few months ago, the children were in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol and unable to leave. She was worried about them.
4The children had spent their vacation in the port city.
5But then the war with Russia began.
6Her adopted children were suddenly alone and afraid in a city at war.
7All they had now was her oldest son, Timofey, who was 17 years old. He promised to take care of his younger siblings.
8There was no clear choice for Olga.
9Trying to rescue the children herself would be dangerous.
10Getting others to help the children might put them in danger.
11That was the beginning of her battle against Russia.
12Associated Press reporters said that Russia is openly working to take Ukrainian children and bring them up as Russians.
13They found thousands of children separated from their parents in shelters in Mariupol and other cities and at homes for orphans in the Russian-supported separatist territories of Donbas.
14They include those whose parents were killed by Russian bombing and others in the care of government organizations.
15Russia claims that the children do not have parents or guardians to look after them, or the parents are not available.
16But the AP reported that officials have sent Ukrainian children to Russia or Russian-held territories without getting their approval.
17They lied to the children, saying that their parents did not want them.
18AP said Russia used the children for propaganda and gave them Russian families and citizenship.
19AP said its investigation is the largest to date on the taking of Ukrainian children.
20It is the first to follow the process all the way to those already growing up in Russia.
21The AP spoke to many parents, children and officials in both Ukraine and Russia.
22It used emails, letters, Russian documents and Russian state media.
23Whether or not the children have parents, raising the children of war in another country or culture can be a sign of genocide.
24That is, it is an attempt to remove the identity of an enemy nation.
25Lawyers say that Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible for the policy.
26He has openly supported adoptions.
27Stephen Rapp is a former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues.
28He is helping Ukraine bring legal charges against Russia over the children.
29Even when parents are dead, Rapp said, their children must be sheltered, cared for, or adopted in Ukraine rather than sent to Russia.
30Russian law bars the adoption of foreign children.
31But in May, Putin signed an order making it easier for Russia to permit adoptions and give citizenship to Ukrainian children without parental care.
32The law also makes it harder for Ukraine and surviving family members to win them back.
33Russia also has prepared a list of Russian families for Ukrainian children and pays them for each child who gets citizenship - up to $1,000 for those with disabilities.
34Petro Andryushchenko is an adviser to the Mariupol mayor.
35He said, "It is absolutely a terrible story." He claimed hundreds of children were taken from Mariupol.
36"We don't know if our children have an official parent or (stepparents) or something else because they are forcibly disappeared by Russian troops."
37The situation is complex because many children in Ukraine's orphanages are not orphans at all.
38Ukraine's government said that most children of the state "are not orphans, have no serious illness or disease and are in an institution because their families are in difficult circumstances."
39It is difficult to find the exact number of Ukrainian children sent to Russia.
40Ukrainian officials claim it is nearly 8,000.
41Russia has not given a number, but officials regularly announce the arrival of Ukrainian orphans in Russian military planes.
42Olga Lopatkina's teenage son Timofey had become like a father to all his stepbrothers and stepsisters.
43Three had long-term illnesses or disabilities, and the youngest was just seven years old.
44They suffered through the intense bombing.
45They tried to leave Mariupol but pro-Russia forces at a checkpoint would not accept the children's documents.
46Instead, the officials took the children to a hospital in the Donetsk People's Republic, or DPR, a separatist Russian-controlled area in Ukraine.
47The Donetsk officials told Lopatkina she could have her children back - if she came through Russia to Donetsk to get them in person.
48Lopatkina feared a trap. If she went to Russia, she might never be able to leave.
49She and her husband had moved to France where she took a job at a factory.
50The children asked when they could go home to their mother.
51They were badly fed, hit and mistreated, Timofey said.
52After two months of negotiation, DPR officials finally agreed to let a volunteer, with permission from Lopatkina, collect the children.
53They asked Timofey if he and Olga's other children wanted to go back to his foster family or stay in Donetsk.
54"Now that I have a chance, I will, of course, go home to my parents," he told them.
55Timofey met his father in Berlin.
56They drove to France, where Timofey went to meet his mother at the factory as a surprise.
57When Timofey arrived, she was in shock.
58For him, the happiness was intense, like nothing he had ever experienced before.
59Back at the house, the other children were waiting.
60They ran toward their mother and jumped into her arms.
61"Let me see you!" she screamed.
62The two dogs joined the party, barking.
63It took Timofey several days before he could believe he was really back with his parents.
64He no longer had to act like a father to his siblings.
65"I kept my promise," he said. "I'm a child now."
66I'm Dan Novak
67And I'm Jill Robbins.
1Olga Lopatkina is a Ukrainian mother of six children. She had adopted the children, orphans who had lost their parents, legally taking them into her family as her own. A few months ago, the children were in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol and unable to leave. She was worried about them. 2The children had spent their vacation in the port city. But then the war with Russia began. Her adopted children were suddenly alone and afraid in a city at war. All they had now was her oldest son, Timofey, who was 17 years old. He promised to take care of his younger siblings. 3There was no clear choice for Olga. Trying to rescue the children herself would be dangerous. Getting others to help the children might put them in danger. That was the beginning of her battle against Russia. 4Associated Press reporters said that Russia is openly working to take Ukrainian children and bring them up as Russians. They found thousands of children separated from their parents in shelters in Mariupol and other cities and at homes for orphans in the Russian-supported separatist territories of Donbas. They include those whose parents were killed by Russian bombing and others in the care of government organizations. 5Russia claims that the children do not have parents or guardians to look after them, or the parents are not available. But the AP reported that officials have sent Ukrainian children to Russia or Russian-held territories without getting their approval. They lied to the children, saying that their parents did not want them. AP said Russia used the children for propaganda and gave them Russian families and citizenship. 6AP said its investigation is the largest to date on the taking of Ukrainian children. It is the first to follow the process all the way to those already growing up in Russia. The AP spoke to many parents, children and officials in both Ukraine and Russia. It used emails, letters, Russian documents and Russian state media. 7Sign of genocide 8Whether or not the children have parents, raising the children of war in another country or culture can be a sign of genocide. That is, it is an attempt to remove the identity of an enemy nation. Lawyers say that Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible for the policy. He has openly supported adoptions. 9Stephen Rapp is a former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues. He is helping Ukraine bring legal charges against Russia over the children. Even when parents are dead, Rapp said, their children must be sheltered, cared for, or adopted in Ukraine rather than sent to Russia. 10Russian law bars the adoption of foreign children. But in May, Putin signed an order making it easier for Russia to permit adoptions and give citizenship to Ukrainian children without parental care. The law also makes it harder for Ukraine and surviving family members to win them back. 11Russia also has prepared a list of Russian families for Ukrainian children and pays them for each child who gets citizenship - up to $1,000 for those with disabilities. 12Petro Andryushchenko is an adviser to the Mariupol mayor. He said, "It is absolutely a terrible story." He claimed hundreds of children were taken from Mariupol. "We don't know if our children have an official parent or (stepparents) or something else because they are forcibly disappeared by Russian troops." 13The situation is complex because many children in Ukraine's orphanages are not orphans at all. Ukraine's government said that most children of the state "are not orphans, have no serious illness or disease and are in an institution because their families are in difficult circumstances." 14It is difficult to find the exact number of Ukrainian children sent to Russia. Ukrainian officials claim it is nearly 8,000. Russia has not given a number, but officials regularly announce the arrival of Ukrainian orphans in Russian military planes. 15Olga Lopatkina's teenage son Timofey had become like a father to all his stepbrothers and stepsisters. Three had long-term illnesses or disabilities, and the youngest was just seven years old. They suffered through the intense bombing. They tried to leave Mariupol but pro-Russia forces at a checkpoint would not accept the children's documents. 16Instead, the officials took the children to a hospital in the Donetsk People's Republic, or DPR, a separatist Russian-controlled area in Ukraine. The Donetsk officials told Lopatkina she could have her children back - if she came through Russia to Donetsk to get them in person. 17Lopatkina feared a trap. If she went to Russia, she might never be able to leave. She and her husband had moved to France where she took a job at a factory. 18The children asked when they could go home to their mother. They were badly fed, hit and mistreated, Timofey said. 19After two months of negotiation, DPR officials finally agreed to let a volunteer, with permission from Lopatkina, collect the children. They asked Timofey if he and Olga's other children wanted to go back to his foster family or stay in Donetsk. 20"Now that I have a chance, I will, of course, go home to my parents," he told them. 21Together again 22Timofey met his father in Berlin. They drove to France, where Timofey went to meet his mother at the factory as a surprise. 23When Timofey arrived, she was in shock. For him, the happiness was intense, like nothing he had ever experienced before. 24Back at the house, the other children were waiting. They ran toward their mother and jumped into her arms. "Let me see you!" she screamed. The two dogs joined the party, barking. 25It took Timofey several days before he could believe he was really back with his parents. He no longer had to act like a father to his siblings. "I kept my promise," he said. "I'm a child now." 26I'm Dan Novak 27And I'm Jill Robbins. 28Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. 29______________________________________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31adopt -v. to take a child of other parents legally as your own 32orphan - n. a child whose parents are dead. 33sibling - n. your brothers and sisters. 34absolutely -adv. completely or totally 35institution - n. a building where certain people are looked after 36circumstance -n. (often pl.) a condition or fact that affects a situation 37foster -adj. describing a situation in which a child lives and is cared for by people who are not their parents 38______________________________________________________________________ 39What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. 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