Zelenskyy accuses Russia of brainwashing Ukrainian children in occupied territories to fight against their homeland
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (president.gov.ua)
Ukrainian children are being reeducated in Russia through totalitarian programs designed to make them fight against Ukraine, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He said that on Wednesday, October 9, he held a meeting with Ukraine's foreign minister and the diplomatic team of the Presidential Office.
The discussion focused on Ukraine's documents submitted to international organizations regarding the return of all Ukrainian prisoners held in Russia.
Zelenskyy noted that he is aware of people who have been in captivity since 2014 and added that this also concerns children abducted by Russia.
"We know a lot about the absolutely totalitarian reeducation programs for children in Russia that are designed to make them ready to fight even against their real homeland, against their real home," the Ukrainian leader said.
He added that there are thousands of such children in the occupied territories and in Russia, and he thanked everyone helping Ukraine bring them home.
"These are different countries — from Canada to Qatar — that are helping us. Our coalition to return Ukrainian children already includes more than 40 countries, plus the European Union and the Council of Europe," the President emphasized.
Deportation of Ukrainian children
Ukraine’s Ombudsman for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, said that since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, more than 19,500 Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated 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 one of the reasons why 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.
The number of countries willing to help return Ukrainian children deported by Russia has increased.
A bipartisan group of US senators has called for Russia to be designated a state sponsor of terrorism over the mass deportation of Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied territories.
