Ukraine continues to bring back its children from temporarily occupied territories and the Russian Federation. Another 11 Ukrainian children aged 10 to 17 have returned home. This was reported by the advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and the operational director of Bring Kids Back UA, Daria Zarivna.
Particularly touching is the story of five biological siblings, who were taken to Russia early in the full-scale invasion. For a long time, there was no information about them. Only later were the children able to contact their adult sister in Ukraine and express their desire to return home.
However, as Zarivna noted, the process of returning was extremely complex. The guardianship in the Russian Federation applied pressure, delayed the process, and even forced the children to change their position. This case required over a year of constant and very difficult work.
The Ukrainian side expresses gratitude to the State of Qatar for mediation, as well as to the team of the Ombudsman’s Office for their endurance, focus, and principled stance in this challenging work. It should be noted that Ukraine managed to return another group of children from temporarily occupied territories with the help of the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak.
These children became targets of Russian special services due to their refusal to comply with the rules imposed by the occupiers - they were pursued, searched, interrogated, and tortured. One of the boys faced pressure simply for not wanting to study in a Russian school. The youngest among the rescued is only three years old, and even she has suffered violence due to her Ukrainian language.
According to Yermak, all these children are currently safe.
Ukraine continues to carry out successful operations to liberate and return Ukrainian children from other countries, including from temporarily occupied territories and Russia. These rescue operations are made possible through the joint efforts of Ukrainian authorities, charitable organizations, and international partners, who strive to ensure the safety and well-being of these children.