Ukraine brings back eight more children from occupation
Photo: Ukraine has brought back eight more children from occupation (t.me/dmytro_lubinetzs)
Ukraine has managed to return eight more children from the territories temporarily occupied by Russia. They were taken from the Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, according to the Telegram channel of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets.
"Today, we have exceptionally good news: eight Ukrainian children are returning home and reuniting with their families. The parents and guardians of the minors reached out to the Ombudsman's Office, requesting assistance in bringing their children back to their homeland. Today, we have the result — our institution’s staff, along with the relatives, welcomed the children home," Lubinets stated.
According to him, among those returned are siblings. All of the children were separated from their families due to the war and occupation, and some lost their parents. In total, children were brought back from the Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.
Additionally, a civilian woman, who had been unlawfully detained and sentenced by the Russians in the occupied territory of Ukraine, saw her two sons for the first time in a long while. The children's grandmother had been their guardian, but now they have been reunited with their mother.
As the Ombudsman noted, today's return was carried out as part of the implementation of Bring Kids Back UA President of Ukraine’s approved action plan. A mediator country, Qatar, was also involved in the process.
"I emphasize that returning children to Ukraine is a complex process. It involves negotiations, logistics, proper documentation, and continuous communication with families. But for us, the most important thing is to bring our citizens back to Ukraine. That is what we are working for!" Lubinets added.
Photo: Ukraine has brought back eight more children from occupation (t.me/dmytro_lubinetzs)
Deportation of Ukrainian children
According to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, since the start of Russia's full-scale war, more than 19,500 children have been deported from Ukraine. Over a thousand Ukrainian children have been successfully returned home.
Notably, the deportation of Ukrainian children was the reason the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.
