Dutch, German ministers condemn child abductions in Ukraine

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The German and Dutch foreign ministers have condemned the deportation by Russians of thousands of Ukrainian children, calling it a deliberate policy of cruel and inhumane abductions that is tearing apart families. Germany Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said at a joint press conference Monday with her Dutch colleague Wopke Hoekstra that Russia “must account for the whereabouts of these children.” Since Moscow launched its war in Ukraine nearly a year ago, Russians have been accused of deporting Ukrainian children to Russia or Russian-held territories to raise them as their own. At least 1,000 children were seized from schools and orphanages in the Kherson region during Russia’s eight-month occupation of the area, say local authorities. Their whereabouts are still unknown.