In times of war, children become the most defenseless. Their fate depends on the adults who must provide them with safety and protection even in the darkest of times. However, for many Ukrainian children, the war was the reason not only for the loss of their native home, but also for abduction. Russia, in violation of all international norms and human rights, forcibly relocates Ukrainian children to the occupied territories or to their own country.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has repeatedly emphasized that this phenomenon has catastrophic consequences not only for individual lives, but also for the future of the nation. The return of abducted children is a moral duty of the state and the entire civilized world.
Abduction of children from the Kherson children’s home
President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia should return home. On his page at Facebook he released a video from the Kherson children’s home, where 53 children were at the time of the city’s occupation by Russian troops.
According to Zelenskyi, two years ago, during the retreat from Kherson, Russian troops kidnapped 48 children who were not even three years old. Most of them were forcibly relocated to Crimea, and the rest were deported to Russia. Most of the children ended up in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea, and some were deported directly to Russia, violating their rights and the laws of international humanitarian law.
The President emphasized that such actions of Russia turn children into a tool of political and social manipulation, devaluing them as individuals.
Ukraine and partners: the struggle for the return of children
In his statement, Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that behind every kidnapped child there is a unique life and destiny that cannot be lost. The head of state thanked international partners for cooperation in this direction.
Ukraine does not stop its efforts aimed at the return of children. International organizations are involved, in particular the UN and the Red Cross, negotiations are underway with partner countries to put pressure on Russia through diplomatic channels, and legal support is actively used to prove violations of international law. As Zelensky noted, the process of returning children is much more complicated than that of prisoners of war, because Ukraine does not abduct other people’s children and cannot exchange Ukrainian children for other people.
A symbol of the struggle for justice
The situation with Ukrainian children has become a symbol of inhumanity and violation of the fundamental principles of law in the modern world. At the same time, this is an example of the indomitability of Ukraine, which fights not only for its land, but also for every little Ukrainian.
“Ukrainian children are not toys, although it seems that for the Russian rich and officials it is exactly that way. They cannot become victims of political games or satisfy the ambitions of Russian officials. Their place is at home, next to their relatives, in their country.” – stressed Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
The struggle for the return of children requires time, resources and joint efforts of everyone who supports Ukraine. Every child return story is a step towards justice. And we must do everything so that every abducted child can again feel the warmth of his home, the love of his relatives and the freedom that belongs to every Ukrainian.
