Sofia, aged 10, who was abducted from Kostiantynivka, was handed over to uncle in Russia whom she had never met. PHOTO
Sofia, aged 10, who was abducted by Russian military personnel from Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region, has been placed in the care of her uncle, who lives in Russia. The girl had never met him before her abduction.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing human rights activist Oleksandra Dvoretska, a representative of the Bring Kids Back initiative.
According to her, Russian propaganda channels published a video of the child being handed over to a relative, presenting the event as a happy family reunion. The footage featured military symbols, whilst the adults’ faces were obscured on the grounds of privacy.
Dvoretska believes that the girl’s return to Ukraine would contradict the propaganda narrative that the Russian side has constructed around her abduction.
"Sofia is being placed in the care of an uncle whom she had never met before her abduction," the human rights activist noted.
She emphasised that Russian propaganda continues to use the child’s story to spread claims about the alleged rescue of children from the Donbas.
What is known about Sofia’s abduction
In July 2026, it emerged that Russian troops had taken a 10-year-old girl from Kostiantynivka to the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk Oblast.
Russian media subsequently circulated a video purporting to show the rescue of a child who had been living in a cellar. The Centre for Countering Disinformation reported that Russia was using Sofia’s story for propaganda purposes.
Subsequently, the Office of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights stated that a relative of the girl had sought assistance in securing her return to Ukraine.
Despite this, Sofia was handed over to the care of a relative on Russian territory. There are currently no reports of her possible return to Ukraine.
