Europol records around sixty reports of human trafficking involving Ukrainians

On By Rgal Nv

Since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, Europol has recorded nearly 60 signals of potential human trafficking, with victims identified as Ukrainian nationals.

This was stated by Deputy Interior Minister Kateryna Pavlichenko in an interview with Ukrinform.

“According to Europol, since the start of the large-scale invasion, about 60 signals of human trafficking involving Ukrainians have been registered. These signals came through Europol channels, including from Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Latvia, Romania, Poland, the Netherlands and Germany. All this information is being verified and investigated, and not all of it is confirmed,” Pavlichenko said.

National police units sometimes receive such signals, Pavlichenko said.

Read also: Parents refuse to evacuate children Frontline areas may face criminal liability

“The Ukrainian National Police cooperates with Europol and Interpol, and through the channels available in these organizations, some information is exchanged. This data also reaches the Ukrainian police through these channels,” the deputy minister said.

Pavlichenko noted that sometimes Ukrainians living abroad apply to diplomatic missions, and the information is sent by diplomatic missions to the National Police of Ukraine for verification.

“When our citizens report to local police in another country that they have been trafficked, we may not receive that information because it remains in the hands of law enforcement in the country where the person is located,” she explained.

The Deputy Minister stressed that everything that is committed on the territory of other states falls under the jurisdiction of the police of a particular country.

“That is why citizens residing abroad, first of all, contact the police of the country in which they are currently located, if they have been victims of certain crimes. It is important to understand that information about a victim of human trafficking is protected by the state where this data is reported,” Pavlichenko explained.

In other words, she said, other countries have their own laws that protect this information from being disseminated, and there is a certain degree of confidentiality.

“In addition, if a person has already been identified as a victim in a criminal case, this information is generally kept confidential during the investigation. This should also be taken into consideration,” the deputy minister explained.

As reported, the Attorney General’s Office revealed on July 30 that 73 procedures related to human trafficking were registered in 2024.