Ukraine rescued eight more children from occupation: Presidential office shares details
Photo: Ukraine has returned eight more children from occupation (Getty Images)
Ukraine has successfully returned eight more children and teenagers from territory temporarily occupied by Russia as part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, according to Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
As Yermak reported, Russian security forces nearly took a one-and-a-half-year-old boy from his mother after discovering a contact with a Ukrainian soldier on her phone.
A 17-year-old girl witnessed the beatings and interrogations of her relatives when Russian troops raided their home.
Two sisters, aged 16 and 13, were forced to study under the Russian curriculum, bullied for speaking Ukrainian, and coerced into joining the so-called Movement of the First, an organization that militarizes children and prepares them for service in the Russian army.
A 10-year-old boy had been hidden at home by his father for years to protect him from being forced to attend a Russian school.
Yermak noted that all of the children are now receiving necessary assistance, having their documents restored, and gradually returning to normal life.
"Grateful to Save Ukraine, Helping to Leave, the Joint Center of the Security Service of Ukraine for Coordination of Prisoner of War Search and Release, and all partners helping us bring our children home. Fulfilling the President’s mission — to bring every Ukrainian child back," Yermak added.
Deportation of Ukrainian children
According to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, Russia has deported over 19,500 children from Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war.
At the same time, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Ukraine has managed to bring back 1,625 children from Russia, thanks to the Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
The deportation of Ukrainian children was also a key 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.
Recently, the number of countries willing to assist in returning Ukrainian children deported to Russia has increased. This also includes children currently under occupation.
