International investigators track down eight Ukrainian children deported by Russians

The Hague, The Netherlands (Svidomi) — International police forces have used digital open sources to track down eight Ukrainian children who were deported by the Russians. The digital search was an initiative of the Dutch police and Europol.

The operation to find the abducted children using satellite imagery and other means involved 60 detectives and investigators from 23 countries, including Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States, and six non-governmental organisations.

Vincent Sillessen, head of the International Crime Unit at the Dutch police's National Investigation Division, said it was the first time international open-source experts had worked so closely together to find information on child abductions in Ukraine.

The detectives searched open online sources for information that would allow them to determine the exact whereabouts of the eight deported children. For example, advanced facial recognition was used to search for recent images of the children. Geolocation experts were able to pinpoint the location where the child was photographed.

Due to the threat to the safety of the children, the Dutch police cannot say anything about their whereabouts or their names. Experts have established that these are orphans who were forcibly taken to the territories occupied by Russia. The Russians used them for propaganda purposes.

Information about the children was handed over to the Ukrainian authorities.