On Christmas Eve, Ukraine successfully returned the 8-year-old daughter of a servicewoman from the temporarily occupied territory, as part of the President’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative. The child had been under Russian occupation for 3 years.
This was reported by Andriy Yermak, the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
From the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the girl, along with her grandparents, lived under occupation. The family endured constant searches, interrogations, and threats of the child’s removal.
“Since the girl’s mother could not take her away on her own, a rescue mission was organised. I am grateful to our partners at Save Ukraine for their help in making my New Year’s dream come true — reuniting the child with her mother!” Yermak stated.
Earlier in December, six more children were returned to Ukraine from temporarily occupied territories under the same Presidential initiative.
Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children
- Since April this year, Russia has been actively deporting Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied territories under the guise of “rehabilitation” or summer holidays. Reports indicate that 2,480 children and 150 teachers were prepared for deportation to St. Petersburg sanatoriums for “rest and psychological rehabilitation.”
- Russian journalists have uncovered at least 285 Ukrainian children placed in Russian orphanages. Once adopted in Russia, the process of returning these children to Ukraine becomes extremely challenging.
- Preliminary estimates suggest that at least 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted and taken by the occupiers, but the actual figure is likely much higher. Russian officials claim they have “evacuated” more than 324,000 children.
- The abductions follow planned strategies, with Russian families receiving financial incentives to adopt abducted Ukrainian children. These measures include renaming children during adoption, further complicating search and rescue efforts.
- For their roles in the abduction and deportation of children, the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his “children’s ombudsman.”
- So far, only a few hundred children have been successfully returned to Ukraine.