Top Putin ally, 70, ‘adopts’ girl, 2, who was kidnapped from Ukraine

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An arrest warrant was issued for Putin in March over his alleged involvement in the abduction of children from Ukraine
An arrest warrant was issued for Putin in March over his alleged involvement in the abduction of children from Ukraine

A FANATICAL ally of Vladimir Putin kidnapped a baby girl from Ukraine and has allegedly 'adopted' her as his daughter.

Sergey Mironov, 70, is the leader of Fair Russia political party and a staunch supporter of Mad Vlad's failing war in Ukraine.

Margarita was taken from Kherson's Children Hospital at just 10 months old tdiqtidrqihkprw
Margarita was taken from Kherson's Children Hospital at just 10 months oldCredit: Panorama: Putin and Ukraine’s Stolen Children
Women can be seen carrying the infants onto the bus by the armful
Women can be seen carrying the infants onto the bus by the armfulCredit: IGOR KASTYUKEVICH
Prominent pro-war Russian politician Sergey Mironov, 70 - accused of kidnapping a ten month old girl
Prominent pro-war Russian politician Sergey Mironov, 70 - accused of kidnapping a ten month old girlCredit: East2West

He is suspected of committing the horrific war crime when his fifth wife took the ten-month-old girl from a Ukrainian children's hospital last year.

The politician allegedly changed her name from Margarita Prokopenko to Marina Sergeevna Mironova, and tore up her Ukrainian citizenship.

Her place of birth was changed from Kherson in Ukraine to Podolsk, near Moscow and a new Russian birth certificate was issued. 

Putin accused of surrounding himself with same 'actors' at series of eventsPutin accused of surrounding himself with same 'actors' at series of events

Lawyers claimed the act could amount to a war crime or even be considered part of a genocide, Independent Russian outlet Important Stories reported.

An arrest warrant was issued for Putin in March over his alleged involvement in the abduction of children from Ukraine.

The International Criminal Court accused the Russian tyrant of the "unlawful deportation" of children from Ukraine - a war crime under the Geneva Convention.

And an investigation by The Sun into Ukraine's missing children back in September 2022 revealed that thousands of children had been deported during Putin's invasion.

Chilling footage posted on Telegram by Russian MP Igor shows Russian officials taking infants from a Ukraine children home in October 2023.

In one image a child can be seen pressing her hands against the window of a coach before she is driven away.

In another women load the children onto the coach and Kastyukevich holds a young girl before passing her over to someone on the coach.

Sergey's wife, Inna Varlamova, 55, made the trip to occupied Ukraine in August 2022, along with a party aide Yana Lantratova.

They snatched the tot after being given “power of attorney” by an occupation official in the invaded region, the sinister report said. 

They also took a two-year-old boy, Ilya Vashchenko, to Moscow and his fate is now unknown. 

Catholics across the world pray for Pope Benedict XVI as his body lies in stateCatholics across the world pray for Pope Benedict XVI as his body lies in state

Both children were kidnapped from an orphanage in Kherson, but at the time were being cared for in a local hospital.

A doctor in the hospital was allegedly put under intense pressure to let them take the children to Moscow. 

Back in Russia, a court allowed Mironov and Varlamova - a longtime employee in the Russian parliament -  to adopt the girl.

A source familiar with Margarita and Ilya's abduction told Important Stories that the girl’s father had died.

They also said her mother had been deprived of her parental rights by a court, leaving her in the orphanage.

A BBC panorama investigation said Dr Nataliya Lyutikova, who treated infants at the Kherson Children's hospital, described her as a smiley baby who loved hugging people.

She did apparently have other Ukrainian relatives who may have raised her, had she not been snatched and taken to Moscow.

Ukraine has imposed sanctions against Mironov, who heads an opposition party in Ukraine, and four-times married Varlamova.

Mironov has long been a devout ally of Putin's - he even stood against the dictator in the 2004 presidential election as a sham candidate to help him win.

He said at the time, acknowledging the farce: "We all want Vladimir Putin to be the next president.”

Lawyer Maria Chashchilova said Mironov’s act “is considered genocide” due to the “forcible transfer of children from one human group to another”.

She said: “These children often have relatives or guardians in Ukraine who have lost contact with them, and in the case of children from orphanages, the guardians are officials of these institutions. 

“According to international law, the parties to the conflict must provide relatives and guardians with information about the missing and facilitate their search.”

Ukraine's human rights chief, Dmytro Lubinets, previously said 16,226 children were deported from Ukraine by Russia and the country has managed to bring back just 308 of them.

And a study by Yale University revealed at least 6,000 children from Ukraine had been taken to re-education camps across Russia - including in Crimea and Siberia - for "pro-Russia patriotic and military-related education".

The report noted the number is "likely significantly higher".

Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations of atrocities during its disastrous one-year invasion of Ukraine.

Russian MP Kastyukevich holding an infant girl before handing her to a woman on the coach
Russian MP Kastyukevich holding an infant girl before handing her to a woman on the coachCredit: IGOR KASTYUKEVICH
Inna Varlamova, 55 with husband Sergey Mironov, 70 (centre)
Inna Varlamova, 55 with husband Sergey Mironov, 70 (centre)
An arrest warrant was issued for Putin in March over his alleged involvement in the abduction of children from Ukraine (pictured with Sergey)
An arrest warrant was issued for Putin in March over his alleged involvement in the abduction of children from Ukraine (pictured with Sergey)
Russia has tried to paint the abduction of children from Ukraine as saving orphans or bringing children to the country for medical care
Russia has tried to paint the abduction of children from Ukraine as saving orphans or bringing children to the country for medical care

Ellie Doughty

Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Kyiv, Ukraine war, Global politics, Crime, Courts, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin

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