"The Russian Investigative Committee investigative directorate for the Northwestern Federal District has held a procedural check of information regarding the transfer of adopted Russian children to other families and violations of their rights, which were revealed during an investigation by journalists from Reuters and the NBC TV channel," Markin said.

Following the inspection, a criminal case, based on evidence of a crime under the article on human trafficking of minors by two or more individuals, has been opened, Markin said.

"Investigators believe that illegal exchanges were established in the United States using Internet resources such as Yahoo and Facebook, in which illegal deals on child adopted by US citizens were concluded," the spokesman said.

"Thus, among others, deals concerning 26 underage Russian citizens have been concluded and it has been determined that some of them were sexually abused following these deals," Markin said.

Moscow asks US to verify rights violations of 26 adopted Russian children

Russian Investigative Committee Chairman Alexander Bastrykin has filed a request with US Attorney General Eric Holder that violations of rights of 26 adopted Russian children be verified.

"Alexander Bastrykin has sent an official letter to US Attorney General Holder requesting verification of violations of the rights of 26 adopted Russian children reported in the journalist inquiry by the Reuters news agency and the NBC television channel," said Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin.

"In addition, Alexander Bastrykin asked for the official delivery of copies of related documents in connection with the Russian Investigative Committee's preliminary inquiry into the certain facts," Markin said, referring to the cases of Anna Barnes (Anna Faizzulina born in 1994), Inga Whatcott (Inga Kurasova born in 1985), Dmitry Stuart and another 23 children from Russia.

"Expressing his readiness and hope for further cooperation, A. Bastrykin stressed in his letter that the Russian Investigative Committee was focused on the protection of rights and lawful interests of children who fell victim to various crimes," Markin said.

"The Russian Investigative Committee Chairman reminded [Holder] that issues related to the attempts on the life and health of Russian minors adopted by US families, which were made on the US territory, were repeatedly discussed during Russian-US negotiations at various levels. But, unfortunately, the issue remained acute until now," he said.

The Western media published in September 2013 materials about orphans adopted in the United States, including orphans from Russia.

The media told the story of Inga Whatcott, 27, who was adopted by a US couple at the end of the 1990s at the age of eleven. The reporters said the Whatcott couple refused to raise the problem child and tried to rid themselves of her. As a result, Inga lived with a number of foster families and repeatedly experienced sexual abuse and harassment.

Another Russian orphan, Anna Barnes, also lived with a number of foster families and was subjected to sexual abuse. Her adoptive parents searched for their substitutes online. The reports sparked public outcry both in the United States and in Russia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry and Russian Children's Rights Ombudsman, Pavel Astakhov, asked US authorities to investigate the reports. It was also said that the Russian Investigative Committee had started investigating the material presented by US journalists.

Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on US authorities to investigate  internet exchanges of children

Of all countries where young Russians are adopted, the USA presents the most problems over defending the rights of children, stated Konstantin Dolgov, the commissioner at the Russian Foreign Ministry in charge of human rights issues, democracy and the rule of law.

"I must state that in this respect the USA is the most problematic country of all states, the citizens of which adopt children from Russia", he said at the third Russian-American Forum for Children's Rights currently underway in Khanty-Mansiysk. According to Dolgov, further proof of that comes from information that appeared in mass media on the Internet regarding the existence in the USA of an Internet "children's exchange", where US citizens could get rid of the children they had adopted, of which at least 26 were orphans from Russia.

"We are calling upon US authorities to pay close attention to this information and conduct the necessary investigation of the identified facts of harsh violations of children's rights. We are also counting on the respective US institutions to clarify the fate of the 26 Russian children who fell victim to the American "Internet exchange" for adopted children", pointed out Konstantin Dolgov.

The diplomat states that, in his opinion, the issue at stake is not the occasional case, but a systemic problem, which points to inadequate levels of children's rights protection in the USA.

Voice of Russia, Interfax

 http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_12_05/Russia-opens-criminal-case-on-human-trafficking-in-US-of-children-adopted-in-Russia-0908/