"I am Alina Komisarenko, from the city of Zaporijia. My son was taken by the juvenile system in Portugal," said a woman in a video shown by Russia at an informal Security Council meeting to address "the measures taken by the Russian authorities to remove children in danger".
"I inform the Ukrainian press that I am not 'fake', I am a Ukrainian citizen," added the woman.
The veracity of the testimonies presented by the Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN cannot be verified.
The Russian ambassador Vasily Nebenzya, whose country chairs the UN Security Council this month, accused Western countries of wanting to stifle the fact that, in European countries, children are being taken from Ukrainian refugees.
The ambassador then mentioned Portugal, Spain and Germany as examples of countries where this happens.
"The number of people who have gone through this is in the hundreds. Small children are being taken to reception centers by strange people. The mothers who are trying to recover the children are threatened with criminal prosecution", accused the diplomat.
"We have to ask what will happen to children with Ukrainian ID in German and Spanish shelters. But apparently that's a different matter. The problem has reached a scale where mothers have lost hope and used social media to reach out to us directly," he said.
One of the women whose testimony was released at the meeting was Yulia Panasenko, who accused Spain of withholding her son.
"My son was taken away by social services in Derio, Spain. I inform the Ukrainian press that I am not 'fake', I am a real person," she said, while showing a photo of her alleged passport.
Also a woman introduced as Elena Kovalena, who claims to be from the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, reported that her son, Richard Kovalev, "was taken by strangers nine months ago" and is now with a German family.
"I tell this story to everyone, everywhere. I've already had four hearings, but they won't give me my son, who is in German custody, in some German family, I'm told. I've only seen him three times, for an hour. My boy will soon forget he has a mother. This is alienation. Please save my Ukrainian son. This is not 'fake'. I beg you", she appealed.
Other women claimed on video that their children were taken to European countries.
The Russian ambassador "seized the opportunity" to address civil society in European countries, "those for whom human rights and children's rights are not just a propaganda element to fight Russia, but a system of values."
"If you can help these Ukrainian mothers, get in touch with us and we will put you in direct contact with them. Our address is on the Internet", said the Russian ambassador.
Every accusation is an admission of guilt!
By Lior from Lisbon on 06 Apr 2023, 12:57
I don't believe for a second that Portugal would take children from their mothers unless the children were in some kind of danger.
By Lisa from Other on 07 Apr 2023, 23:29
If the identities of the Ukrainian women and the veracity of their stories cannot be corroborated, then why are you giving so much print space to the Russian government statements? They use propaganda like this all the time. Do you think for one solitary minute that Russia “cares for” or “cares about” Ukrainians, as they deliberately target civilians and infrastructure as part of their illegal war and occupation? I believe stronger disclaimers should precede this article.
By Alexandre from Lisbon on 08 Apr 2023, 12:27
Better ‘stolen’ than murdered!
By Ian from Beiras on 08 Apr 2023, 17:28
Nobody does `warped logic´ like the russians do.
By Steve. from Algarve on 25 Apr 2023, 13:29