Five Ukrainian children have returned from the temporarily occupied territories and the Russian Federation — and each return has become a small, yet significant victory for Ukraine. This was reported by the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets, according to UNN.
Thanks to our persistent work, children aged 4 to 15 are home.
Lubinets also shared the stories of Ukrainian children who were successfully returned:
🔘 A seven-year-old boy was in a Kherson children's home, from where the Russians deported him during the occupation of the city. But his mother fought for the child's return and appealed to the Ombudsman's Office: now the dearest people are together again;
🔘 A similar family separation was experienced by a four-year-old brother and a six-year-old sister. They were also abducted by the occupiers from the Kherson children's home. For four years, the children were in deportation and had not seen their mother. The woman last hugged her children when they were practically infants! Today they are together again;
🔘 Another story is about a nine-year-old boy. He ended up with his mother in Russia, where the woman died of a serious illness. The child was initially attempted to be taken by his grandfather, but he failed. Today, the boy will be reunited with another relative - his uncle.
These stories show: childhood, which should have been filled with fairy tales and warmth, became a test of endurance. But now it's not just about pain. It's about returning. About the first hugs after long years of separation. In total, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 1985 children have returned to their homeland. And as long as at least one Ukrainian child remains far from home, we will continue to fight for them.
Additionally
The Ombudsman reported that the children's return was made possible thanks to the active efforts of the Ombudsman's Office team, within the framework of the President of Ukraine's initiative Bring Kids Back UA. The public organization Save Ukraine also joined this process.
In addition, Lubinets thanked the First Lady of the United States of America, Melania Trump, for her humanitarian support of Ukraine's initiatives regarding the return of children.
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