Ukraine Brings Home Five Children from Russia and Occupied Territories
Five Ukrainian children have been safely returned to Ukraine as part of the “Bring Kids Back UA” initiative. This was announced by Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak on December 10.
Three of the children who were rescued had just turned 18. Two of them suffered from psychological pressure while living in Russia, and one young man without family support finally managed to leave an occupied territory.
The initiative also helped a family of four, including two children aged 11 and 14, who faced persecution for their pro-Ukrainian position. A 77-year-old woman was also assisted by the program. Yermak said that their stories reveal the terror and fear people endure under occupation.
This is not an isolated case. According to a Ukrainian national database “Children of War,” at least 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted from Russian-occupied territories and sent to other Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine or to Russia itself since February 2022.
Estimates suggest that up to 150,000 to 300,000 Ukrainian children may have been unlawfully deported by Russia. A Yale School of Public Health study has detailed the systematic program of deporting and forcibly assimilating Ukrainian children under orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia’s tactics include transporting children via military aircraft, reclassifying them in Russian databases as native-born, and subjecting them to pro-Russian re-education before adopting them into Russian families.