Ten Ukrainian children have been returned to Ukraine from Russian-occupied territories, the organization Save Ukraine reported.
10 ???????? children have been returned to Ukraine from Russian-occupied ???????? territories.
The children report that the occupiers forced them to write letters and draw pictures for Russian soldiers who invaded ????????, and sing the Russian national anthem.
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— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) March 8, 2024
“Under the occupier’s rule, our children are deprived of any rights and a normal, happy childhood. Therefore, there is no time to hesitate. To date, our organization has already rescued 261 children from Russia and the occupied territories,” the founder of Save Ukraine and former Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights in Ukraine, Mykola Kuleba wrote on Telegram.
According to him, children in the occupied territories were forced to attend Russian schools, listen to and sing the Russian anthem, and write letters and draw pictures for the Russian soldiers who invaded Ukraine.
As of February 2023, Ukraine confirmed the illegal deportation of 19,546 children. However, in reality, the number is likely much higher. Returning the children is extremely difficult, as the Russians often place them with foster families, changing their names and surnames.
On 17 March 2023, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Commissioner for Children’s Affairs Maria Lvova-Belova. They are suspected of illegally deporting Ukrainian children from occupied territories to Russia.
In July 2023, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine launched an investigation into the Belarusian Red Cross’s involvement in the deportation of Ukrainian children.
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