From Abduction to Detention: the hidden trauma of Ukrainian children in Russian custody

August 7th, 2025

Just when one believes the depths of this tragedy have been fully revealed, new and even more distressing realities emerge.

Russia is no longer simply unlawfully transferring Ukrainian children – it is now detaining them in prisons, where they face fabricated charges, unfair convictions, and physical abuse.

One such child is Yulia.

Detained at 17, Yulia has spent her eighteenth birthday behind bars. Her current situation remains unknown.

For the first time, Yulia’s grandmother Tatiana has courageously shared her story with Paris Match, breaking the silence on these harrowing cases.

At the Emile Foundation, we have been working directly and confidentially with families of children held in these circumstances for over a year. While the international community often addresses abduction, the plight of children imprisoned in Russia remains largely overlooked.

These children fall outside conventional classifications:
• They are neither officially forcefully displaced
• Nor recorded as missing civilians
• Nor afforded protections as prisoners of war

They exist in a legal and humanitarian limbo – effectively forgotten.

We remember them.
We advocate for them.
And we will not cease our efforts until justice is served and all children are safe.

We encourage you to read the Paris Match of August 7 (n°3979) and share Yulia’s story widely.
This is not merely another chapter of loss. It is a deliberate assault on innocent children’s rights and dignity.

We also wish to extend my sincere gratitude to Paris Match, and especially to the journalist Manon Querouil, for reporting on this sensitive issue with utmost professionalism and respect.

📸 Photos by Katya Moskalyuk
✍️ Article by Manon Quérouil-Bruneel
📰 Published in Paris Match, issue of August 7, 2025 (n°3979)
© Paris Match

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