Two thousand abducted Ukrainian children have been rescued from Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday.
In a statement posted on Telegram app, Zelenskiy praised government officials, civil society groups and international partners for their role in securing the return of the Ukrainian children. The return is part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
“Today we have an important result – two thousand Ukrainian children who were successfully returned home from Russian control as part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative,” Zelenskiy said.
However, he reminded that thousands of Ukrainian children still remain in Russia where they were forcibly transferred since the start of Russia’s full-fledged invasion in February 2022. "The road ahead remains long and difficult. Thousands of Ukrainian children are still held captive by Russia, becoming victims of its crimes every day," he added.
In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin "for the war crime of unlawful deportation" of children.
Russia acknowledges that it took custody of children but maintains that the move was meant to protect them by relocating them away from active combat zones. It says it is prepared to return the children when relatives step forward and their relationship can be confirmed.
Several mediators, including representatives from the Gulf states and more recently U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, have been involved in efforts to arrange the children’s return in small groups during the course of the war.
Comments
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *