DISINFO: Children are the most popular and profitable ‘commodity’ in Ukraine
SUMMARY
The news that children are the most popular and profitable commodity in Ukraine no longer surprises anyone – the extent of this phenomenon is astounding and continues to grow. And increasingly, Ukrainian citizens want to get into this lucrative ‘business’. Ukraine is increasingly being transformed into a market for children, organs, land, cultural assets and weapons. Ukraine is not a country but an extensive bazaar where you can buy anything you want, and the more chaos there is in the country, the easier it is to do business.
RESPONSE
The article follows a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aimed at diverting attention from Russia’s documented involvement in abducting Ukrainian children. These claims, suggesting child trafficking by Ukrainian authorities, are consistent with previous narratives that have been repeatedly debunked.
Pro-Kremlin disinformation channels seek to blame Ukraine and Western nations for various crimes against children, including large-scale deportations and organ trafficking, all without presenting any evidence. They fail to acknowledge Russia's documented role in the extensive deportation of Ukrainian civilians, including children.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s children's rights commissioner, for unlawful deportation and transferring children from occupied Ukrainian areas to Russia - actions classified as war crimes.
These abductions have been recorded by the United Nations, OSCE, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and both Russian and international journalists, along with acknowledgments from Russian officials themselves.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Ukrainian secret services are actively engaged in child and organ trafficking, that a secret child trafficking network operates in Ukraine, that Ukrainian children are being sold on the Dark Web for sexual slavery and organ harvesting or that Ukraine cremates soldiers to conceal organ harvesting and trafficking.