40 investigators mobilized
The investigation, which took place on April 16 and 17 in The Hague, was coordinated with 40 investigators from 18 countries, the International Criminal Court (ICC), and other non-governmental partners. They relied on open source intelligence sources (OSINT), which helped to reconstruct “the routes taken during forced displacements”, “the people who facilitated deportation”, and “the camps or centers where the children were taken.”
The gathered information was transmitted to Ukrainian authorities to assist them in their ongoing investigations, Europol announced. At the same time, several Russian military units, within which deported children may be likely fighting in Ukraine, were also identified.
