2,000 Ukrainian children in total now returned from Russia and occupied land, says Zelensky
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Screen grabs from a video posted online by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said in an X post that thousands more Ukrainian children remain “captive”.
SCREENSHOTS: X/@ZELENSKYYUA
- President Zelensky stated 2,000 Ukrainian children returned from Russia; thousands remain "captive." Russia is accused of forcibly transferring around 20,000 children.
- The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for President Putin and his commissioner in 2023 for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.
- Kyiv claims Russia indoctrinates children, forcing Russian citizenship. Russia says it moves them for safety, offering returns. Intermediaries help small group returns.
AI generated
KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb 17 that 2,000 Ukrainian children had been brought back from Russia and Russian-occupied land since the start of the war, but that thousands more remained “captive”.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has been accused of forcibly transferring around 20,000 children from parts of Ukraine seized by its army.
The International Criminal Court in 2023 issued an arrest warrant
Kyiv says Russia has indoctrinated them, forced many to adopt Russian citizenship and tried to scrub them of their Ukrainian identity – accusations supported by testimony from Ukrainians who managed to leave Russian occupation.
“Today, we have achieved a significant result – two thousand Ukrainian children have been brought home from under Russia’s control,” Mr Zelensky said, in a post on social media.
“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.
Russia does not hide the fact that it took children under its control, but says it did so for their own safety, moving them away from the front line and is willing to return them in cases where relatives come forward and can be verified.
Various intermediaries including the Gulf states and lately, US First Lady Melania Trump, have been working to secure their return in small groups throughout the war. AFP
