The children 'adopted' by Russians for financial gain

The stories told to Svitlana Popova's 15-year-old daughter, Alina, while she lived under Russian occupation in Ukraine's southern Kherson province, were designed to terrify her

- Peter Beaumont 

Yvgenia, the pro-Russian mother of Alina's best friend, spun her a web of lies. Alina and her family, the woman insisted, had taken food aid from the Russianimposed administration. When the Ukrainian forces came into Kherson, she said, they would hurt anyone who had been in contact with the Russians.

Alina thought Yvgenia was her friend. When the woman suggested fleeing to Russia for "safety", the girl agreed. The reality was darker. Yvgenia saw caring for Alina as a way to get money and a better apartment. Once across the border, she became abusive.

Thousands of children have been kidnapped and taken to Russia since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February last year. Alina is one of the lucky few hundred who have been returned after her mother, helped by volunteers, made the frightening journey to Russia to plead her case before the country's social services.