Two years ago, as Russian forces withdrew from Kherson, they abducted 48 toddlers from a local orphanage, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed on December 24.
At the time of the Russian occupation, 53 children were living in the Kherson orphanage. According to Zelenskyy, during their retreat, Russian forces kidnapped 48 of these children, none of whom were older than three years.
“Most of these toddlers were forcibly relocated deeper into occupied territory — to Crimea — while others were deported to Russia,” Zelenskyy said.
“Ukrainian children are not toys, although it seems that for Russian elites and officials, they are. Behind each of these children is a life that must not be lost, a future that must not be ruined. We must do everything in our power to bring Ukrainian children back home,” he emphasized.
Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Ukraine’s international partners who continue to support the effort to reunite these children with their families and homeland.
According to the Ukrainian Ombudsman for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets Russia has illegally deported over 20,000 Ukrainian children since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
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-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Ivan Khomenko")