Another 11 children have been returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory from temporarily occupied areas of Kherson Region. They include seven boys and four girls aged from 1 year and 4 months to 17.
Kherson Regional Military Administration head Oleksandr Prokudin reported this.
The return was facilitated by the charity Save Ukraine as part of the presidential initiative Bring Kids Back UA.
According to Prokudin, during the occupation the children and their families were subjected to pressure, threats and persecution.
In particular, a 16-year-old boy survived an armed attack by Russian soldiers in his own home. At an occupation-run school, children were forced to learn how to handle weapons and operate combat drones.
Another 17-year-old teenager was forced under threats to attend a Russian school and was later placed on a military register. His family was also subjected to regular armed searches.
The family of an eight-year-old girl were threatened that the child would be taken away and placed in an orphanage if she did not study at a Russian school. There, children were drawn into propaganda events, including being forced to draw postcards for Russian soldiers.
All 11 children are now in Ukrainian-controlled territory, safe and receiving the necessary assistance.
Overall, since the start of 2026, it has been possible to bring back 219 children from Kherson Region from temporary occupation.
- Russian troops forcibly removed 25 civilians from the temporarily occupied part of Kharkiv Region. They included children, young people and the elderly.