Kathrine Frich
Pro-Kremlin voices have seized on the moment.
A new claim is spreading across social media, reframing one of the most controversial aspects of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The narrative suggests that Ukrainian children taken to Russia were not abducted, but protected.
Social media surge
According to an AFP investigation cited by the Kyiv Post, pro-Kremlin accounts have used the recent release of Epstein-related files to promote allegations that Moscow saved Ukrainian children from sex trafficking networks.
AFP identified posts on Facebook, X and TikTok that gathered millions of views while repeating the claim.
The reports note that these assertions contradict documented accounts of forced deportations since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Kyiv says nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been unlawfully transferred to Russia or Russian-controlled territories.
Moscow has acknowledged relocating some minors, arguing the moves were for their safety.
One widely shared post on X, viewed more than three million times, claimed the Epstein documents “confirmed… that Putin did not kidnap children from Ukraine, but evacuated them to protect them from child sex trafficking.”
Ukraine allegations
Documents made public on January 30 relate to Epstein, the US financier who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges.
The files reference prominent international figures.
Pro-Kremlin commentators have used the disclosures to revive earlier accusations portraying Ukraine as a global centre for sex trafficking.
Some posts suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin was acting to dismantle a network linked to Epstein. Others alleged that Epstein had sought to “meet Putin” to obstruct efforts against child exploitation.
Disinformation concerns
The London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) reported more than 15,000 related posts appearing within two days of the documents’ release.
“There’s no evidence that the Russian state is directly behind these posts,” said ISD researcher Liana Sendetska, but she noted that the files have been used to reinforce earlier narratives.
“They’re just trying to saturate the information space with all this to see if it sticks,” said co-author Olga Tokariuk.
ISD recorded over 150,000 posts between September 2024 and August 2025 linking Ukraine to trafficking allegations, with spikes around key war anniversaries.
The group said some British and European politicians, including sitting MEPs, have amplified similar claims.
Sources: Digi24, AFP, Kyiv Post.
