Ukraine has returned another 14 children from Russian-occupied territories
Fourteen children aged between 6 and 17 have been returned to Ukraine-controlled territory from the Russian-occupied part of the Kherson region. They consist of four boys and 10 girls, reported Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the regional military administration.
Ukraine has returned another 14 children from Russian-occupied territories. According to DW, Prokudin announced this on his Telegram channel on September 29.
He said that among those returned was a 16-year-old teenager whom the Russian military forced to register for military service. Additionally, a 17-year-old girl who, despite the risks, sought to receive a Ukrainian education, was also brought to Ukraine-controlled territory.
The children were returned under Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Bring Kids Back UA initiative, with the support of the Save Ukraine charitable organization.
Prokudin reported that since the beginning of 2024, a total of 204 children have been brought to Ukraine-controlled territory from the occupied areas of the Kherson region.
According to Ukrainian authorities, as of late April, more than 20,570 cases of deportation or forced displacement of Ukrainian children to Russia have been confirmed.
By that time, 2,126 children had been successfully returned. This figure includes those forcibly taken to Russia, those displaced within the temporarily occupied territories, as well as children who were not relocated but were subjected to Russia's "re-education" practices.
DW notes that the UN Independent International Commission has assessed the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children and the creation of conditions for their long-term stay in Russia as crimes against humanity.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, suspecting him of war crimes related to the illegal deportation and transfer of children from occupied territories of Ukraine. A similar warrant was issued for Maria Lvova-Belova, the Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights in Russia.
On September 28, the European Union imposed sanctions on 10 individuals and 17 legal entities in connection with the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. The restrictions target individuals and organizations identified as responsible for the forced displacement and assimilation of children, including ideological indoctrination and militarization.