Mykhailo Podoliak, an advisor to the head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, wrote on May 2 that Russian official Maria Lvova-Belova's recent interview with Vice News was an "illustration" of the word "cannibal."
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants on March 17 for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin as well as Lvova-Belova, who has been overseeing the forced deportations of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.
When asked by Vice News journalist Isobel Yeung about the ICC, Lvova-Belova feigned surprise and declared, "I am a mother, that says it all. What kind of war criminal am I, what are you talking about?"
In his tweet, Podoliak put forward his own version of Lvova-Belova's response, reflecting the reality of Russia's treatment of Ukrainian children.
"We just came to their cities, destroyed their houses, killed and maimed their parents in front of their eyes, sent them to filtration camps in distant regions, where we harshly abused them and forced them to listen to propaganda lectures, and supplemented it with... a second passport. Isn't that salvation?" he wrote.
It was "impossible" to come up with a more accurate illustration of the word "cannibal" than Lvova-Belova glossing over Russian war crimes during the interview, Podoliak added.
More than 19,000 children have been abducted to Russia, according to a Ukrainian national database, while thousands remain unaccounted for.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's National Resistance Center reported on April 12 that Russian occupying forces have transported more than 100,000 Ukrainian children from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts for "medical treatment."
Vice News has drawn heavy criticism for the interview, with many believing that it only allowed Lvova-Belova to promote Russian propaganda on an international platform. Additionally, the journalist originally wrote in their article that Crimea was a part of Russia before issuing a correction.
Daria Shulzhenko
(Updated: )
