UKRAINE/RUSSIA: The war, according to Ukrainian authorities, makes it hard to continue the investigation into a vast network of alleged child sex abuse involving dozens of Russian children whose pictures and videos were being trafficked inside and beyond the nation.
15 Russian children who are currently living in Russia have been identified, and a Ukrainian man has been detained. However, Kyiv-area prosecutors claim they are unable to find any other victims or detain additional suspects because of the rupture in relations between Russia and Ukraine that has resulted from the Kremlin’s invasion.
Oleh Tkalenko, a senior prosecutor for the Kyiv region who oversaw the case, claimed that these types of crimes are regrettably frequent throughout Europe and Ukraine. But the magnitude of these crimes in Russia terrifies us.
According to Tkalenko, the most vulnerable groups of people make up the majority of the victims of these crimes. “Parents that encourage their kids to do this are incompetent. And it’s challenging to block the distribution of these files. And it’s extremely frustrating since the crisis has severed all of our ties with our Russian colleagues.”
When the cybercrime unit of the Ukrainian police learned that numerous photographs of child sexual assault were being downloaded and kept in the Kyiv region, the investigation got underway in June.
A month later, prosecutors searched a home in Bucha and discovered files with more than 100,000 photographs and videos of child sex assault.
The minors and victims of these crimes who were connected to the network were quickly sought out, according to Tkalenko. “And when we discovered that they were all Russian citizens, we were startled. Although there are many more youngsters involved, we have only so far managed to identify 15 of them.”
As young as nine years old, some of the victims were from different regions of Russia, including Moscow, Kaliningrad, and Krasnodar.
Judges have ordered the suspect to remain in his or her home while the case is being decided. The man may spend up to five years behind bars if found guilty.
When an adult is worried about a child, they can call the NSPCC at 0808 800 5000. Children can also call 0800 1111 for support. By calling 0808 801 0331, adult survivors can get support from the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac).
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