Ukraine brings back 128 children forcibly taken to Russia by invaders
Ukrainian authorities announced on Tuesday that 128 children forcibly taken to Russia by invaders have been successfully brought back home.
The news was revealed by Yulia Usenko, head of the Department for Protection of Children’s Interests and Combating Violence of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine.
According to Ukrainform, Usenko said, “We have managed to repatriate 128 children to Ukraine. More than 50 of them, along with their parents or guardians, are currently in EU countries.”
While Usenko thanked those who helped with the mission, he declined to reveal his identity.
“You may ask, why is the number so small compared to the number of people being deported? But for us it is not a number, it is the lives of 128 children. It is the work of a large number of people to bring them back to the motherland.” , They have been working for months to bring back at least one child. That’s a lot of security risks, including to the people helping the process. At this time, I cannot disclose who these people are and how everything is happening…”
“Ukraine is doing everything it can, but, unfortunately, it is not enough. The usual tools of diplomacy are not working, the requirements of international humanitarian law against the aggressor are not working, so no There is no single mechanism, and general rules do not apply. Our task is to constantly look for ways and maintain dialogue with those who support us,” Usenko said.
Earlier this month, it was reported that 16 children aged 7-16 from Kherson Oblast had returned to Ukraine. Withdrawals were carried out by volunteers of the charity fund Save Ukraine. In all, 14 families managed to bring their children home.
“There are children whom we were unable to pick up during the final evacuation, although we had all the necessary documents translated into Russian. Afterward, the children refused to be returned. They were hysterical because the children were waiting for their parents and thought they would come,” Mykola Kuleba, former children’s ombudsman and executive director of Save Ukraine, said at the time. Was.
Thousands of children have gone missing since the war in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, and many more have been forcibly taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territories.
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