Ukraine returns 3 children from Russian occupation

Mykola Kuleba, the founder of Save Ukraine and Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights in 2014-2021, announced this on Telegram on June 6.

He noted that Save Ukraine has successfully completed another operation to evacuate Ukrainian children from the occupied territories. This time, the team rescued three kids, including one without parental care. 

According to Kuleba, the organization has now returned a total of 359 young Ukrainians. 

He said that this time the mission was particularly difficult. Families had to go through many checkpoints, each checking their documents carefully.

However, Kuleba stated that Save Ukraine persisted and guaranteed the safe passage of the children to goverment-controlled territory. 

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."

On April 25, Russian Ombudsman for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova said that Russia and Ukraine had held "the first face-to-face talks" on the exchange of children. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets denied this information.