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Two Ukrainian Children Rescued From Occupied Territories, Including a Boy Orphaned by Russian Soldiers
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![Maryna_kulakova]( "Maryna Kulakova")
-924c3c302c27387e19f6c44aaeb98745.png "Maryna Kulakova")
Two more Ukrainian children have been rescued from temporarily occupied territories as part of Ukraine’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative, as announced Andriy Yermak, head of the President’s Office, on April 1.
One of the children is a boy who was orphaned after his mother was killed by Russian soldiers. To save him, a relative reached out for help, and he was successfully evacuated.
The boy is now safe, and efforts are underway to find a family that can provide him with proper care and support.
Yermak also highlighted the successful evacuation of a girl and her mother, who had been unable to leave for a long time due to restrictions imposed by the occupying forces. They are now safe and back home in Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Yermak also expressed gratitude to the Ukrainian Child Rights Network for their assistance in organizing the rescue mission.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Ukrainian authorities estimate that over 19,500 children have been forcibly deported to Russia. These children have often been stripped of their Ukrainian identities, subjected to “re-education” programs, and, in some cases, adopted by Russian families.
The United Nations has condemned these actions as war crimes, and the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova in connection with these abductions.
Earlier, on March 29, Ukraine has successfully returned five more children from the temporarily occupied territories and Russia under the Bring Kids Back UA initiative. The operation was carried out with the support of the Office of the Ombudsman and in coordination with the State of Qatar, which acted as a mediator.
