The Krasnodar City Department for Family and Childhood Affairs recently published news about the adoption of a thousand children from Mariupol by families from different Russian cities. The article was later removed from the agency's website, but is still available in the online archive.
“Over 1,000 babies from liberated Mariupol have already found new families in Tyumen, Irkutsk, Kemerovo and the Altai region. More than 300 children are also in temporary custody at specialised institutions in the Krasnodar Region and are looking forward to meeting their new families,” the guardianship authorities said on their website.
The announcement also mentioned the availability of a one-off allowance for Russian citizens who decide to adopt a child.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) reacted to the publication and called the abduction of children a violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.
“We call on the international community, in particular the UN, to condemn Russia's ongoing crimes against children in Ukraine and to take immediate measures against Moscow to stop its audacious violations of international law. All Ukrainian children illegally displaced on Russian territory should be returned to their parents or legal guardians,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In early August, Russian State Duma deputies introduced a bill banning the adoption of Russian orphans by citizens of “unfriendly” countries. Over 50 states are currently on Russia’s “Unfriendly Countries List” — among them are all 27 EU member states, Australia, the UK, the USA, Canada, Korea, Norway, Ukraine and others.
