“Navigator,” the person who had ordered the kids faraway from the church, visited the foster residence repeatedly. He would later be recognized as Igor Kastyukevich, a Russian member of Parliament from Mr. Putin’s political social gathering, United Russia.
Anna Kuznetsova, a deputy chairwoman within the Russian Parliament and Ms. Lvova-Belova’s predecessor as youngsters’s rights commissioner, traveled from Moscow to ship child merchandise on behalf of the social gathering. “#WeDon’tAbandonOurOwn,” she wrote on Telegram, utilizing a pro-war hashtag to counsel that the kids belonged to Russia.
In interviews with The Instances, Russian officers echoed that view, saying that the kids from Kherson have been Russian.
In Might, Mr. Putin fulfilled his promise to Ms. Lvova-Belova by issuing a presidential decree that eased citizenship necessities: In Kherson and different occupied areas, Ukrainian caregivers may now file for Russian citizenship on behalf of Ukrainian foster youngsters and orphans.
The decree additionally expedited the method in order that youngsters may turn into Russian residents in 90 days or much less, as an alternative of as much as 5 years.
The subsequent month, Ms. Korniyenko, the director of the foster residence, was summoned to Kherson’s Ministry of Well being, now run by the occupation authorities. A Russian-backed official requested her to stay the director, however underneath his supervision. She was even supplied a Russian passport.
However Ms. Korniyenko refused. She’d had sufficient of the occupiers, who, she mentioned, intimidated the workers by asking them about their political opinions in a take a look at of their allegiance and carried weapons whereas monitoring the kids.
Dr. Lukina resigned, too. She cared deeply concerning the youngsters, however she didn’t need to have any function in what Russian-backed officers would possibly do to them.
“I didn’t need to participate in it,” she mentioned. “And I used to be afraid that they might take me away as properly.”
In the hunt for a brand new director, the occupation authorities turned to Dr. Tetiana Zavalska, a pediatrician on the foster residence who usually labored evening and weekend shifts. She was sympathetic to the brand new occupation administration and made clear her pro-Russian views.