Ivanka’s True Story
Considering the West’s alignment with the Ukrainian government, Ivanka feared that not as many families would want to adopt her if they knew that she was Russian. She thought Western foster families would be more inclined to feel compassion for her if they thought she was Ukrainian.
She had been advised to lie about her nationality by other Russians living in Donbas who couldn’t take care of her. And she had lied about her parents’ nationality and story in hopes of getting compassionate treatment.