Another 15 children returned to Ukraine from occupation

This was announced by Daria Zarivna, an advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and operational director of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, Ukrinform reports.

“Within the framework of the President’s initiative Bring Kids Back UA, we managed to return 15 Ukrainian children who were under occupation and their families were subjected to persecution and pressure,” said Zarivna.

She said that among the rescued children is a family where the mother refused to receive Russian documents, which led to threats to take away her children and force them to attend a Russian school. Three 17-year-old boys escaped after being served with draft notices to the Russian army, while one of them was even kidnapped by the occupiers and taken to a military commissariat by force. A boy in a kindergarten was subjected to bullying just for being Ukrainian, and a baby born during the war was denied medical care for almost a year and a half by Russians because his mother insisted on a Ukrainian certificate. Two other children ended up in a Russian orphanage after losing their mother, where they were being prepared for adoption into Russian families, Zarivna said.

“I’m grateful to Save Ukraine for their assistance in organizing this rescue mission and for bringing Ukrainian children back to their families. We will not stop until all Ukrainian children are at home, safe, with those who love them,” Zarivna assured.

As reported by Ukrinform, on February 6, eight more illegally deported Ukrainian children were returned from temporarily occupied Crimea.

As of the end of January, 1,037 illegally deported Ukrainian children were returned from Russia, including more than 450 children in the past year.