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“Around 400 Locations of Abducted Children”: Zelenskyy Urges the World to Help Bring Kids Back
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says international involvement is critical to bringing home children abducted by Russia, stressing that global leaders, humanitarian partners, and even public figures must be part of the effort.
In his statement on X on November 13, Zelenskyy highlighted the role of high-level diplomacy, including cooperation between Ukraine’s First Lady and the First Lady of the United States.
“I do think that the meeting between the First Ladies of the United States and Ukraine was important. We are very grateful for the fact that Melania helped bring some children home to Ukraine,” he said.
On bringing back Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 13, 2025
It's very important to involve as many leaders as possible, and famous people – not only presidents and prime ministers. I do think that the meeting between the First Ladies of the United States and Ukraine was important.…
According to the President, Ukraine is working with a broad network of partners—including Qatar, the Vatican, and several intelligence agencies—to locate and repatriate abducted minors.
“We brought back more than 1,600 children. And our estimation was that there are thousands there. It’s true – about 19.5 thousand children are stolen in Russia,” he said, calling the search “a long and difficult way,” President stated
Zelenskyy noted that Ukrainian services have identified “around 400 locations of abducted children” inside Russia. Each case, he stressed, requires painstaking verification and international coordination.
“We increase the number of found children each day. But this is not only about how they were stolen. It's about how to find them. And this is a difficult job. A very important one,” he wrote.
The President said these issues—along with the battlefield situation and the use of frozen Russian assets—were central to his recent discussions with US senators. He thanked them for their commitment to supporting Ukraine on all fronts.
Earlier, a group of children and teenagers were safely removed from the Russian-occupied areas of the Kherson region and returned to territory under Ukrainian control.
