Russian occupiers are taking almost 300 children from occupied Berdyansk District of Zaporizhzhya Region to the Chuvash Republic of Russia, Melitopol mayor Ivan Fedorov has said on Telegram.
"The Russian media reported that 48 children had been sent, the rest are going to be taken out in several shifts. First, they seized Ukrainian territories and deprived children of at least the Sea of Azov (in fact, of a happy childhood), and now they are sending the kids 1,600 km away from home deep into Russia," the mayor said.
According to Fedorov, they will continue to manipulate the situation in the Berdyansk area and keep children in Russia as hostages.
"Ukrainian children are the last thing the enemy thinks about. For them, it is a bargaining chip for blackmail," he said.
As reported earlier, 19,393 children who were illegally transferred to Russia from the occupied territories of Ukraine are now known to be missing. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this at a joint briefing with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on 13 May.