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"They didn't have food and water, and they were maltreated physically and psychologically," says Teresa Flores Munoz, a local police officer involved in the operation.

“If people continue maltreating the sacred lake like this, it will expand again and drown all the villages and towns around it.”

They have described using such tools as a moral imperative, insisting that child welfare officials should draw from all data at their disposal to make sure children aren’t maltreated.

"There were those who treated us like humans, they understood us and sympathised with us. I can’t say that everyone was bad and maltreated us. It depended on the person," she said.

Darya Morozova, who deals with prisoners’ rights in rebel-held Donetsk, denied that they were maltreated, and said her side in the conflict was also seeking the release of 94 people held by Ukraine.