BBC: Putin ally Mironov adopts Ukrainian child illegally deported from Kherson by Russian military

Sergey Mironov, the key political ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, has adopted a child seized from a Ukrainian children's home in Kherson Oblast, according to BBC. The 70-year-old leader of a Russian political party is listed on the adoption record of a two-year-old girl who was taken in 2022 by a woman he is now married to. Records indicate that the girl's identity was altered in Russia. Mironov has not provided a specific response to the investigation's allegations. However, this week, he shared a general criticism on his Telegram account over false information attacks on him and his family. The child, originally named Margarita, was among the 48 who disappeared from Kherson Regional Children's Home when Russian forces gained control of the city. Earlier this year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and his Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russian-controlled territory The Russian government says it does not deport Ukrainian children but conducts evacuations to protect them from the war.