Russia's Forced Deportation of Ukrainian Children: Eradicating Identity

Scale of Forced Deportations

• 🎯 The official number of Ukrainian children identified as deported to Russia or occupied territories is 19,546, though the actual number could be significantly higher, potentially ranging from 20,000 to 200,000.
• ⚠️ Russia claims to have 'saved' 700,000 children, but provides no verifiable information, making accurate tracking difficult.

Emile Foundation's Focus Areas

• 🏠 The Emile Foundation is concentrating efforts on two specific institutions: the Keron home orphanage, from which 48 babies were taken, and the Oleski specialized boarding school, where 105 children with disabilities were deported.
• 🔍 The foundation has successfully identified and located 40 children from these groups, with family consent for their repatriation.

Case Study: Margarita Propenko

• 👶 A notable case involves Margarita Propenko, a 10-month-old baby deported with her brother and another boy. After 1.5 years, she was found to have been adopted by a Russian official and renamed Margaret Marina Mironov.
• ⚖️ Margarita's mother is publicly seeking a DNA test through a third country to verify her identity, challenging the Russian authorities' claims.

International Efforts and Challenges

• 🤝 While a coalition of 48 countries exists, there's a lack of a proper mechanism for child return. Previous mediations by countries like Qatar and the Vatican have only accounted for a small percentage of missing children.
• 🇺🇸 The Emile Foundation believes the United States has the unique leverage to establish an effective return mechanism, given Russia's responsiveness to perceived strength over European discussions.

Russia's Motivations

• 🧠 Russia's actions are driven by a belief that Ukrainians are 'Nazis' and need to be eliminated, aiming to eradicate Ukrainian identity, history, and the country itself.
• 🚩 This process involves brainwashing children to become Russian, potentially turning them against their own country in the future.