Ukraine returns 13 children from occupied territories and Russia

Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets reported information. 

According to him, six children were returned as part of the Bring Kids Back UA action plan approved by the President, and seven more were rescued from the occupation. 

"Some of the children returned today lost their parents, some parents wanted to return them on their own, but the Russian Federation did not allow them to do so, some dreamed of going to their relatives. And this dream has come true," Lubinets said. 

He told the story of a 15-year-old girl who was rescued. Her house in Mariupol was hit by a Russian tank, so she and her mother took refuge in a church. Later, the teenager was injured in the head by rocket fragments. After many attempts, the family managed to return to the government-controlled territory. 

"I am pleased to report that our Office, which worked on this together with other government agencies and with the mediation of Qatar, has brought results - children are in their native land. We also expect results on other issues that were discussed during my visit to Qatar in April," the statement said. 

Deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and Belarus

Amid full-scale war, Russia is deporting Ukrainian children en masse from the occupied territories of Ukraine. They are taken to the occupied Crimea, Russia or Belarus, allegedly for rehabilitation or to rest in camps.

On March 17, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Russian Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova. They are suspected of forcibly deporting Ukrainian children.

On December 7, 2023, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said that the deportation of 19,540 Ukrainian children by Russia has been officially confirmed.

Maria Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, has publicly said that more than 700,000 children from Ukraine are now in Russia.

Russia spreads disinformation and propaganda, aiming to portray its atrocities as "humanitarian" gestures. Russia also engages in disinformation and propaganda tactics targeted at brainwashing youngsters in Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine or children deported to Russia into believing that the Kremlin is protecting them from a "Nazi regime in Kyiv."