Ukraine returns 449 children from Russian occupation in 2024

Andrii Yermak, head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, announced this.

"Since the beginning of 2024, 449 children have been returned. Among them are five who recently escaped from the temporarily occupied territories with their mothers as part of the Ukrainian president's initiative Bring Kids Back UA," the statement says. 

It is stated that six-month-old Matvii saw his mother kidnapped and tortured four times by the invading Russian forces, and 15-year-old Trokhym, who was left without parents, was threatened with a draft notice to the Russian army.

The rescue mission was organized by Save Ukraine.

• On December 27, an 8-year-old girl was returned from the temporarily occupied territories.