Russia uses pseudo-charitable funds to disrupt process of returning Ukrainian children – ombudsman

Russia uses pseudo-charitable funds to disrupt the process of returning Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories and from the territory of the aggressor country, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Lubinets said.

"Russia is launching its 'tentacles' into the process of returning Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories and Russia. And it does this, in particular, through various charitable funds," he said in the Telegram channel on Tuesday.

The commissioner explained his statement using the example of a specific situation. According to him, thanks to one of the MPs of Ukraine, communication took place between employees of the Ombudsman's Office and the head of the charitable fund, who announced her intention to join the return of Ukrainian children. After preliminary consultations, a memorandum of cooperation was signed.

"The fund did provide assistance, for which we publicly expressed our gratitude," the ombudsman said.

At the same time, he said that no funding issues were discussed during the meetings with his participation. "Financial support was directed exclusively to helping families waiting for the return of children," he said.

Subsequently, according to him, the Ombudsman's Office started to record a number of alarming actions by the head of the said fund. In particular: persistent demands to participate in working meetings; attempts to gain access to the personal data of children still remaining in the temporarily occupied territories and in Russia; interest in the details of the return logistics and routes; attempts to establish who exactly is providing assistance in this process in the temporarily occupied territories and in Russia.

The ombudsman said all this information is extremely sensitive and classified. "Their disclosure may threaten not only the effectiveness of return operations, but also the safety of people who directly contribute to these processes. These people are exposed to serious threats, including risk to life," he said.

Lubinets said that due to the impossibility of meeting the above-mentioned requirements, cooperation with the fund was terminated. The memorandum expired and interaction was terminated.

According to the ombudsman, a year has passed since then and information began to spread in the media, aimed, in his opinion, at discrediting the work of Ukrainian state bodies, in particular, efforts to return Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories and the territory of Russia. He said the information attack was also directed against him personally.

"Unknown individuals associated with the above-mentioned organization began to spread disinformation, including through international channels, accusing them of alleged corrupt actions," he said.

In his opinion, such activity coincides with the information operations of Russia, the purpose of which is to discredit Ukrainian state institutions and disrupt the process of returning children.

In addition, representatives of this fund have appealed to law enforcement agencies.

"We are completely open and expect transparent conclusions in accordance with current legislation," he said.

The commissioner recalled information from open sources that the representative of the fund allegedly made international trips, where she presented herself as a partner of Ukrainian state bodies, while collecting significant amounts of money.

"We are talking about millions of euros. While the amount she publicly declared spent on the return of children amounted to only $18,000. This raises natural questions: where are the rest of the funds collected?" Lubinets said.

In addition, Lubinets drew attention to information that this person allegedly tried to organize a press conference for a representative of the aggressor country. He also said the head of Kyiv office of his organization is a former Russian citizen who now uses a diplomatic passport as the wife of a foreign diplomat.

"This information is already partially in the public domain and known to the relevant state bodies," he said.

The ombudsman called on Ukrainian citizens, journalists and international partners to be critical of such campaigns.

"Russia uses all possible channels, including pseudo-charitable organizations, to disrupt humanitarian processes. Especially the return of Ukrainian children," he said.