10 children were returned from the occupation to the territory controlled by Ukraine
This week, 10 young Ukrainians and their families were returned from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine (Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk regions), said Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights.
Returned families testify that without a Russian passport it is impossible to perform any action or receive medical assistance, and the scale of forced mobilization is astounding.
The children told how the Russians searched their homes without reason. The mother of one of the boys reported that they lived in a house damaged by a Russian shell.
The “new government” forced children to go to a Russian school and every Monday to sing the national anthem of the country that brought destruction, fear and disorder. Fortunately, some managed to get online Ukrainian education, but parents were threatened that in this case their children would be selected. So Ukrainians decide to sew everything up in order to protect the lives and future of their children.” – told Dmytro Lubinets.
Those who have returned have already visited the Center for the Protection of Children’s Rights. A competent multi-functional team worked with them and recorded the crimes they witnessed or became victims of.
“Ukraine is always ready to return everyone and provide basic humanitarian, medical, psychological, social and other necessary assistance. If your child has disappeared and you, as his legal representative, do not know his whereabouts, be sure to notify the National Police of Ukraine at 102. If you are convinced that the child has been deported to the Russian Federation or is in the temporarily occupied territory, besides the police, also inform the Office of the Ombudsman.” – the department reminded.
Currently, about 20,000 children are considered to have been forcibly removed to Russia or to territories not controlled by Ukraine. The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense collects all information about people involved in the deportation of minor Ukrainians and publishes them on one site – “Child kidnappers”. This is a section on the GUR MO platform called “War and Sanctions”. The registry of kidnappers already contains information on more than 200 criminals.
Due to the removal of hundreds of children from Ukrainian orphanages in March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and his Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova.
