The war started by the Russian Federation brought incredible suffering and grief to the Ukrainian people. However, one of the most tragic aspects of this was the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to the territory of the Russian Federation. The question that arises on everyone who hears about this is what happens to these children after they return? How are their lives being restored, and what procedures do they and their families have to go through?
Ukraine faces serious challenges in the issue of returning deported children, because this process is extremely complex and multifaceted. On the one hand, this is related to security aspects, because it is necessary to make sure that the children were really forcibly removed and were not involved in any illegal actions. On the other hand, this is a socio-psychological issue, because returned children often have serious psychological injuries that require long-term rehabilitation.
Return after Deportation: Review and Status
Every child who returns from deportation undergoes a mandatory check by law enforcement agencies. About this told Aksana Filipishyna, deputy head of the analytical department of the Ukrainian Helsinki Union for Human Rights. She noted that the law enforcement officers must find out the circumstances under which the child ended up on the territory of the Russian Federation or in the zone of occupation. If the fact of deportation, which is a war crime, is confirmed, the child is given the status of a victim, and the case goes further to the court level.
This is not just a formality – it is an important legal procedure aimed at establishing justice and providing children with adequate protection. At the same time, this allows the Ukrainian side to cooperate with international structures, in particular with the International Criminal Court, which also investigates these war crimes.
Psychological rehabilitation
An important stage after the children’s return is their psychological rehabilitation. In Kyiv, on Hrushevsky Street, there is a special center created with the support of international organizations. Professional psychologists and law enforcement officers work with children there, helping them gradually return to normal life. However, after that, the children return to their hometowns, where there is not always access to the necessary specialists.
Aksana Filipishyna emphasized that the rehabilitation of children can last from several months to a year, depending on the degree of injury. Unfortunately, this process is often complicated by the lack of necessary resources and qualified specialists in small towns.
New challenges: the threat of repeated deportation
Apart from the psychological and social problems, there is another aspect that causes concern – the threat of re-deportation. The head of the Zaporizhia Regional Military Administration of Ukraine, Ivan Fedorov, said that the Russian authorities continue to deport Ukrainian children to Chechnya and the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic under the guise of a vacation. This is done under the guise of summer vacation, but in reality it is an attempt to assimilate Ukrainian children and tear them away from their native land.
In June 2024, the “Ukrainian Resistance” Center announced that the Russian authorities plan to deport more than 12,000 children from the occupied Luhansk region to Russia. This once again emphasizes the scale and systematic nature of this crime.
So far, Russia has deported more than 19,500 children from Ukraine, but only 388 have been returned. This number is shockingly low, especially given the scale of the problem. In addition, there are concerns that not all of the children who return have actually been deported—perhaps some of them have nothing to do with the situation.
Human rights activists also warn that the process of returning children to Ukraine may become increasingly difficult, because the longer children stay in Russia, the more difficult it is to return them home. According to Aksana Filipishina, some children may even refuse to return, which will be another tragedy for their families and the entire country.
“The return of deported children is only the beginning of a long road to their recovery. This requires enormous efforts from both the state and the international community. Ukraine must provide comprehensive support to these children, because they are not only victims, but also witnesses of war crimes that are committed against our people. The hope for a better future for these children lies in our hands, and we must do everything possible to give them back their childhood and hope for a happy life,” human rights activists report.
