Ukraine returns big group of children from Russian occupation, Presidential Office says
Photo: Ukraine has returned a large group of children from occupation (t.me/ermaka2022)
Ukraine has managed to return another large group of children from territories temporarily occupied by Russia. The rescue was carried out under the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, said Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
"As part of President of Ukraine’s initiative Bring Kids Back UA, a large group of Ukrainian children has been rescued from the temporarily occupied territories. During the years of occupation, they endured harassment, coercion, and the imposition of Russian propaganda. Today, they are safe and receiving the necessary assistance in Ukraine," Yermak said.
Among those rescued were:
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Sisters whom the occupation authorities tried to send to an orphanage after their mother’s death;
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Children forced to sing the Russian anthem and take part in propaganda meetings with Russian soldiers;
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A teenager with health problems, who was still placed on military registration, while his mother was humiliated for refusing to send her children to militarized activities.
"Now all of them are receiving support: restoring their documents, undergoing psychological rehabilitation, and getting help to start a new free life. I am grateful to Save Ukraine and all partners for their assistance in rescuing these children. We are fulfilling the President’s task – to bring back every child," Yermak emphasized.
Deportation of Ukrainian children
According to Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, Russia has deported more than 19,500 children from Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion.
At the same time, more than a thousand Ukrainian children have been returned home, and the process continues.
The deportation of Ukrainian children was one of the key reasons why the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova.
In addition, in April, the Verkhovna Rada adopted as a basis a draft law establishing liability for the illegal transfer and use of children for military purposes by representatives of a foreign state.
