Another 11 Ukrainian children rescued from occupation and Russia
Kyiv • UNN
Ukraine has brought back 11 children aged 10 to 17 from temporarily occupied territories and Russia. Among them are five biological siblings who were taken to Russia and pressured by Russian guardianship authorities.
Another 11 Ukrainian children have been returned from the temporarily occupied territories and Russia, said Andriy Yermak, head of the President's Office, on Saturday on social media, UNN writes.
As part of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Bring Kids Back UA initiative, 11 Ukrainian children have been returned from the temporarily occupied territories and the Russian Federation. Their age ranges from 10 to 17 years old.
According to him, the story of a family from which five siblings returned was particularly striking. "The children were taken to Russia, and for a long time there was no information about them. Only later did they themselves contact their adult sister in Ukraine and pleaded: take us home. Even after that, the way back was extremely difficult. Russian guardianship authorities exerted pressure, delayed the process, and forced them to change their minds. The return became possible only after more than a year of persistent and painstaking work," the head of the Presidential Office said.
This story, he emphasized, is another reminder: Ukraine will not stop until its children are home.
"I am grateful to our partners - the State of Qatar for mediation, and also to the team of the Ukrainian Ombudsman's Office for their coordinated and principled work. We are fulfilling the President's task - to bring everyone back," Yermak stated.