EU envoy to Ukraine claims 'Russia abducting Ukrainian children'; pans human rights breach

In the wake of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Ukraine, Matti Maasikas has accused Russia of kidnapping Ukrainian children, further calling it ‘another cynical', horrible breach of International Humanitarian Law. Taking to Twitter, the EU ambassador to Ukraine said, “After Ukraine's journalists, activists, local officials, other civilians, Russia has begun to abduct Ukrainian children.”

EU ambassador Maasikas further added in the tweet post that along with the kidnapping, the so-called "adoption" of the Ukrainian children by Russian families is just another "cynical, appalling violation of International Humanitarian Law". He also asserted that Russia will be held responsible for its actions.  

In addition to this, as per Ukraine's Ombudsman, Lyudmila Denisova, over 130,000 children were forcefully relocated to Russia. 

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, April 13, Ukrainian prosecutors announced that roughly 191 children have been killed and 349 others have been injured in the Russia Ukraine war, since its commencement on February 24. According to a CNN report, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office has stated that numerous Ukrainian children have died as a result of the airstrikes in northeastern and southern Ukraine in recent days. 

“As of the morning of April 13, 2022, more than 540 children were affected in Ukraine as a result of Russia's armed aggression," the office's press staff revealed on Telegram, according to a Ukrinform report. Apart from this, since the start of the crisis in Ukraine, 2,982 people have lost their lives, while, 2,651 have been injured, according to the United Nations.

The organisation pointed out that this was just the information that had been officially reported, and that the true number of victims may be many times higher. 

Russia expelled 18 EU diplomats 

In another development, the European Union (EU) has condemned the expulsion of its employees from Moscow's diplomatic mission, calling it a "pure retaliatory move".

EU spokesperson Peter Stano condemned Russia's decision as "unjustified and baseless" in a statement made on Friday. The EU representative made these statements after the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Moscow had fired 18 members of the European Union's mission to Russia in reaction to the removal of 19 Russians from Brussels earlier this month.  

(Image: AP)