Russian troops illegally take 25 civilians, including children, out of Kharkiv region

According to him, the people taken away include young and elderly people, as well as children. The occupying forces themselves reported the so-called rescue operation on their Telegram channels. However, no one knows where these people are now or the conditions in which they are being held.

"What worries me most about this story is the fate of the children. They are being taken away, and their personal data is being collected, while their parents and relatives may not even know where they are," Lubinets stressed.

The ombudsman noted that the available video footage indicates pressure and intimidation. People were deprived of the opportunity to decide for themselves where to go and what would happen to them next.

"True evacuation means taking a person somewhere for their safety, with the person knowing where they are going and agreeing to it," he said.

When people are taken against their will from occupied territory to the territory of the aggressor state, this constitutes forced transfer and deportation. According to Lubinets, calling such actions a rescue operation is cynical.

Telegram bot collects people's data

The ombudsman reported that the occupying forces had already created a Telegram bot. It is being used to collect people's data under the pretext of a so-called evacuation. Such data could be used against the people themselves and their relatives.

"I urge people not to share passport details, addresses, phone numbers, or documents through it — either their own or those of their children," Lubinets said.

He also recalled that such actions violate the norms of international humanitarian law. The Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War prohibits the forced transfer and deportation of people from occupied territory (Article 49), the taking of hostages (Article 34), as well as intimidation, terrorism, and collective punishment (Article 33).

What Lubinets is demanding

The ombudsman has already contacted Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights. He is demanding that she disclose the whereabouts of all 25 people, provide information about the conditions in which they are being held, and supply the full details of the civilians who were taken away.

He is also asking her to take measures to return these people to Ukraine.

In addition, Lubinets has appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN, and other international organizations.

"I must be heard! These people cannot simply be taken away and then have everyone pretend they no longer exist," the ombudsman stressed.

RBC-Ukraine reported on how Russia is preparing Ukrainian children for service in its own army.

Hundreds of centers affiliated with paramilitary organizations operate in the occupied territories. In Crimea and Sevastopol, according to the Center for National Resistance, 874 Yunarmiya units have been established, involving around 29,000 children.

We also reported that intelligence uncovered a scheme for taking orphaned children out of occupied territory.

According to Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, children from an orphanage in the occupied Donetsk region were taken to Russia in the summer allegedly for health improvement, and at least two children were not returned home.