Taken: Putin’s Stolen ChildrenThe BBC Panorama documentary (directed by Robin Barnwell, running time — approximately 85 minutes) investigates the abduction and deportation of 48 children from the Kherson Regional Children’s Home who disappeared during the Russian occupation of the city in 2022. The film focuses on the story of Margarita — the youngest child in the home, who was only 10 months old when she was taken away by unidentified Russian officials.
Human rights investigator Victoriia Novikova and her colleagues retrace Margarita’s abduction route, identify the mysterious “woman in lilac” who removed the child from the hospital, follow her trail to Moscow, and discover that Margarita was adopted by high-ranking Russian politician Sergey Mironov and his wife Inna Varlamova. Margarita’s name, date of birth, and place of birth were changed, effectively erasing her Ukrainian identity.
The film exposes a large-scale system of unlawful deportations and adoptions of Ukrainian children: Russian officials alter documents, transfer children to Crimea and deeper into Russia, and issue new birth certificates and passports. The investigation presents evidence of how decrees signed by Putin made it easier to adopt children from the “newly annexed regions” and how this practice violates the Geneva Conventions, potentially constituting a war crime.
The film also highlights the personal struggle of relatives and human rights defenders to bring the children home. To date, fewer than 400 of the more than 19,000 deported Ukrainian children have been returned. In Margarita’s case, Viсtoriia Novikova has officially become her legal guardian on behalf of Ukraine and continues to fight for her return.
This is not just a story about one little girl, but about a systematic attempt to erase the Ukrainian identity of abducted children and sever their ties with their homeland.