This cross-border investigation by freelance journalists based in Ukraine, Spain and Italy traces the fate of 5,000 Ukrainian orphans sent to Europe since the start of Russia’s invasion, particularly after Ukraine called for their return.
As the war with Russia dragged on and losses mounted, concerns grew over Ukraine’s demographic future and the fate of its “lost generation”. While on the eastern front Russia forcibly transferred and “re-educated” more than 20,000 Ukrainian children, thousands of orphans sent to southern Europe risked becoming entangled in a different kind of uncertainty, as some foster families sought ways to keep them despite Ukraine’s wartime legal restrictions.
Kyiv succeeded in repatriating more than 3,000 children, but those who were not returned became caught in legal disputes, family conflicts, diplomatic tensions and deep psychological strain.
The investigation found that in Italy and Spain some foster families turned to the courts to block the children’s return to a war zone. In some cases, families stopped responding to Ukrainian authorities’ requests, later facing accusations of attempted child trafficking.
The project documents the experiences of children and teenagers who were forcibly returned to Ukraine, those who remained in the European Union, and the families who believed they were acting in the children’s best interests.
It also presents the perspective of Ukrainian authorities, who described the situation as “international abduction of minors” and a breakdown in humanitarian coordination between Ukraine and EU states.
Through interviews with lawyers, government officials, families and intermediaries in Ukraine, Spain and Italy, the journalists uncovered legal gaps, administrative failures and communication breakdowns that allowed these already vulnerable children to become the focus of cross-border disputes at a critical moment in their lives.
This investigation was produced by Stefania D’Ignoti in Italy, Davide Maria De Luca in Ukraine, and Cecilia Butini in Spain.