Ukraine rescues nine more children from Russian occupation

"As part of the President of Ukraine's Bring Kids Back UA initiative, we were able to rescue nine more Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories. These children went through severe hardships," said Andriy Yermak.

Among those returned was a girl who was rescued just in time due to the lack of adequate medical care in the occupied area.

Also rescued was a boy who, along with his mother, had been locked in a basement by Russian soldiers while his father was being tortured in the next room. At school, he had been forced to praise the occupying forces.

Among those brought back to safety were sisters who had not left their home for nearly three years due to constant shelling and the presence of Russian tanks nearby. Another girl had been cut off from Ukrainian online education because the occupiers had blocked access to communications.

"I am grateful to the Save Ukraine team and our partners for helping organize this rescue mission. We are fulfilling the President's task — to bring every child home," added the Head of the Presidential Office.

Deportation of Ukrainian children

According to Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, more than 19,500 children have been deported from Ukraine by Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion. So far, over 1,000 children have been successfully brought back home.

The deportation of Ukrainian children was the key reason for the International Criminal Court in The Hague to issue arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the country's Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.

Recently, the Ukrainian parliament passed in the first reading a draft law establishing criminal liability for the illegal transfer and use of children for military purposes by representatives of a foreign state.