Russia plans transfer of 400 Ukrainian children from occupied Zaporizhzhia region
Russia plans transfer of 400 Ukrainian children from occupied Zaporizhzhia (photo: Getty Images)
Russians have announced a new program under which more than 400 children from the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia region will be sent to Russia's Yaroslavl region, the National Resistance Center of Ukraine reports.
"Formally — excursions and sports. In reality — controlled relocation of minors deeper into Russia," the National Resistance Center notes.
Analysts of the Center record the following:
- No transparency;
- Parents cannot influence the trip;
- International organizations are not allowed;
- Russian forces provide no legal grounds.
It is noted that such "exchanges" are not tourism. This is a way to separate children from their families, immerse them in the Russian information space, and create conditions for further assimilation.
"Russia masks the removal of children with the language of cultural exchange, but the essence is the same — systematic relocation of Ukrainian minors to Russian-controlled regions," the Center emphasizes.
Deportation of Ukrainian children
As previously reported by the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has deported more than 19,500 children from Ukraine.
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine has returned more than 1,600 children from Russia. This was made possible thanks to the Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
The deportation of Ukrainian children was the reason why the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for the Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia's Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.
The number of countries willing to help with the return of Ukrainian children deported by Russia has increased. This also concerns children who remain in occupied territories.
Zelenskyy also stated that Ukraine will provide partners with data on the children abducted by Russia. The first list will soon be on the table of all world leaders.
