Russians banned language and issued threats: Ukraine brings three children home
Illustrative photo: Ukraine returns three more children home from occupation (GettyImages)
Ukraine has managed to rescue three more teenagers from territory temporarily occupied by Russia, according to a post by Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak.
According to Yermak, the teenagers had lived in fear and danger for more than three years. Russian forces openly threatened them and their families over their pro-Ukrainian stance, forced them to study under Russian curricula, banned the Ukrainian language and symbols, and summoned them for interrogations.
While in occupation, some of the children barely left their homes for years to avoid persecution, while others attempted to leave on their own but faced obstacles at border crossings.
"They are receiving psychological, humanitarian, and legal assistance, restoring their documents, and preparing to return to school and normal life," Yermak wrote.
Deportation of Ukrainian children
According to Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, since the start of the full-scale war, Russia has deported more than 19,500 children from Ukraine. To date, over a thousand have been returned, and the process is ongoing.
The deportation of Ukrainian children was also the reason the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova.
