Ukraine returns nine children, young man from Russian-occupied territories

Ukraine's Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets reported this.

According to him, the return was part of President Ukraine's Bring Kids Back UA plan and involved mediation from Qatar. Some of the children have disabilities or serious health issues.

Lubinets stated that these children were separated from their parents or guardians due to the war and come from regions such as Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea. Some had previously been in an orphanage in Oleshky before being taken by occupying Russian forces to Skadovsk and then to Russia.

"One of the boys who returned home today lost his father, who was defending Ukraine on the frontline. Some of the children will finally be able to hug their family members who are serving in various Ukrainian forces, while others will go back to their grandparents, who can provide them with a happy childhood in their homeland," the ombudsman stated.

He also emphasized that Ukraine is prepared to support all returnees with essential humanitarian, medical, psychological, and social assistance. Meanwhile, law enforcement officials will document any crimes committed by Russians that these children witnessed or experienced.

• On August 3, eight more Ukrainian children were returned to the territory controlled by Ukraine from the occupied part of the Kherson region.