16 more children returned from occupation in Ukraine: Presidential Office shares details
Photo: Ukraine has rescued 16 more children from occupation (t.me/ermaka2022)
Ukraine has managed to bring back 16 more children from temporarily occupied territories. This took place as part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, according to a Telegram post from Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
"Within the framework of the President of Ukraine’s initiative, Bring Kids Back UA, another 16 Ukrainian children have been rescued from temporarily occupied territories," Yermak said.
According to him, among the rescued children is a 15-year-old girl who escaped the occupation with her aunt after her parents and brother were sentenced by the Russians to long prison terms on fabricated charges.
Also among the rescued are a 14-year-old girl and her 7-year-old sister, who lost their home and all their belongings in a fire that completely destroyed their house.
Another 15-year-old girl, together with her parents, barely left their home for three years because the family lived in constant fear that the Russian occupying forces could take their children.
A 10-year-old boy was nearly taken from his family by the occupation’s so-called "guardianship service."
"Today, all of them are safe in Ukraine, where they are receiving psychological support, restoring their documents, and taking the first steps toward a new, peaceful life," added the Head of the Office of the President.
Other returns
Recently, Ukraine also managed to bring back 16 children from territories temporarily occupied by Russia. Among them is a girl who constantly feared for her mother, who was held in a basement for three days without food or water simply because the child’s father serves in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Earlier, a child was returned who, despite pressure, continued studying at a Ukrainian school and wanted to continue their education in Ukraine.
Deportation of Ukrainian children
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression, over 19,500 children have been forcibly taken from Ukraine.
According to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, more than a thousand minors have already been returned to their homeland, and the process continues. The return of children remains one of the most important issues at the international level.
On September 3, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on individuals and organizations involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children. The list includes the mother of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his foundation.
US Senator Lindsey Graham is demanding that Russia return all abducted children; otherwise, he plans to introduce a law to recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
