Ukraine returns 15 children deported by Russia – Ombudsman Lubinets

This was reported by Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets on Telegram.

According to the official, children from towns of Kharkiv and Kherson regions, which were occupied at the beginning of the war, have been returned to the territory controlled by Ukraine.

"Despite all the challenges, we continue to work to ensure that Ukrainians have the opportunity to see their families and be on their land. Thus, as of today, according to the National Information Bureau, 308 children have returned to the territory of Ukraine," the Ombudsman emphasized.

According to Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General, as of March 21, the total number of Ukrainian children deported by Russia may exceed 16,000. 

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

• Representatives of various states and international organizations reacted to the ICC's decision. They were later joined by representatives of the United Kingdom and Canada, who unambiguously supported the court's position.

• Later, US President Joe Biden told reporters that the ICC's arrest warrant for Putin was justified because the Russian president had committed war crimes.

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that there is a "real prospect" for the case of Russia's illegal deportation of Ukrainian children, in which the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin

• On March 18, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, praised the ICC's decision to issue an arrest warrant for the Russian president and noted that this was the beginning of the process of bringing Vladimir Putin to justice.