23 Ukrainian children and teenagers have been returned to the territory controlled by Ukraine from the temporarily occupied territories. Some children were forced to attend Russian schools and obtain Russian passports.
23 children have been returned to the territory controlled by Ukraine. They are currently receiving all necessary medical, psychological, and humanitarian assistance, reported Andriy Yermak, head of the President's Office, writes UNN.
As part of the President of Ukraine's initiative "Bring Kids Back UA," a group of 23 Ukrainian children and adolescents from temporarily occupied territories were rescued. Occupiers tried to force two sisters, aged 11 and 14, to attend a Russian school, threatening their mother with taking the children away if she refused. One of the teenagers was left without guardianship after the occupation and was forced to obtain a Russian passport, but he fundamentally refused to study at a Russian school.
– Yermak said.
The Head of the OP also said that a little girl and her mother were once not allowed to leave the occupation due to a relative's service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. After that, the family was left without any documents and lived under constant pressure.
Today, all rescued children are safe, receiving medical, psychological, and humanitarian assistance, restoring documents, and gradually returning to a peaceful life. I thank Save Ukraine, the SBU Joint Center for Coordination of Search and Release of Prisoners of War, Illegally Detained Persons, and all partners for their help in rescuing children.
– Yermak emphasized.
Addition
Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported that over 80,000 people have gone missing in Ukraine due to the crimes of the Russian invaders. This particularly concerns forced deportation and illegal displacement of Ukrainian children.
In the Donetsk region, four children and their families are to be forcibly evacuated from the outskirts of Kramatorsk. This is due to the difficult security situation in the region.
