Russia trying to disrupt process of returning children through pseudo-charitable foundations

“Russia is extending its ‘tentacles’ into the process of returning Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories and Russia. And it is doing so, in particular, through various charitable foundations,” Lubinets wrote.

According to him, communication between the staff of the Ombudsman’s Office and the head of a charitable foundation was established thanks to one of Ukraine’s members of parliament. The foundation had expressed interest in assisting with the return of Ukrainian children. After initial consultations, a memorandum of cooperation was signed.

“The foundation did assist, for which we publicly expressed our gratitude,” the Ombudsman noted.

At the same time, he emphasized that no financial matters were discussed during meetings he personally attended. The financial support was directed solely toward helping families who were waiting for their children to return.

Later, according to Lubinets, the Ombudsman’s Office began recording a number of alarming actions by the head of the mentioned foundation, including:

• persistent demands to take part in working meetings;

• attempts to gain access to the personal data of children who are still in the temporarily occupied territories and Russia;

• interest in the details of the return logistics and routes;

• efforts to determine exactly who is assisting in this process in the temporarily occupied territories and Russia.

The Ombudsman emphasized that all this information is extremely sensitive and classified.

“Its disclosure could jeopardize not only the effectiveness of the return operations, but also the safety of those directly involved in these efforts. These individuals face serious threats, including risks to their lives,” he stressed.

Lubinets added that, due to the inability to meet the above-mentioned demands, cooperation with the foundation was terminated. The memorandum expired and the partnership came to an end.

According to the Ombudsman, a year has passed since then, and information has begun to spread in the media that, in his opinion, is aimed at discrediting the work of Ukrainian state bodies — particularly the efforts to return Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied territories and Russia. He also noted that this information attack was directed personally at him.

"Unknown individuals associated with the aforementioned organization have started spreading disinformation, including through international channels, accusing us of alleged corruption," he stated.

According to Lubinets, this activity aligns with Russia’s information operations aimed at discrediting Ukrainian state institutions and disrupting the process of returning children.

In addition, representatives of this foundation have contacted law enforcement agencies.

"We are fully transparent and await clear and lawful conclusions in accordance with current legislation," he said in this context.

The Commissioner referred to information from open sources, indicating that a representative of the foundation allegedly made international trips, presenting herself as a partner of Ukrainian government bodies while raising significant amounts of money.

"We are talking about millions of euros. Meanwhile, the publicly declared amount she spent on returning the children was only 18,000 US dollars. This raises legitimate questions: where is the rest of the collected money?" he noted.

Furthermore, Lubinets stated that this individual allegedly attempted to organize a press conference for a representative of the aggressor state. He also pointed out that the head of the organization's Kyiv office is a former Russian citizen who now holds a diplomatic passport as the spouse of a foreign diplomat.

"This information is already partially in the public domain and known to the relevant state authorities," the ombudsman emphasized.

Lubinets urged Ukrainian citizens, journalists, and international partners to approach such campaigns with a critical eye.

"Russia is using every possible channel, including pseudo-charity workers, to sabotage humanitarian efforts, especially the return of Ukrainian children," he stressed.

Deportation of Ukrainian children

According to Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, over 19,500 children have been deported from Ukraine by Russia. More than a thousand of these young Ukrainians have been successfully returned home, and efforts to bring others back are ongoing.

Notably, the deportation of Ukrainian children was the reason the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.