Ukraine Rescues 2,000 Children from Russian Control Since 2022, But Thousands Still Remain, Says Zelenskyy

Ukraine has returned 2,000 children from under Russia’s control through its Bring Kids Back UA initiative, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on February 17, calling the milestone a major step in efforts to recover abducted and forcibly transferred minors during Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“Each of these returns was made possible thanks to the daily efforts of our people, civil society organizations, and international partners. We are grateful to everyone who has contributed to this fight for the future of our children, our country, and the entire free world,” he stated.

The president stressed that the operation remains ongoing, warning that Russia is still holding thousands of Ukrainian children. “The road ahead remains long and difficult,” he said, adding that Ukraine would continue its efforts “until every Ukrainian child is back home.”

Bring Kids Back UA officials said the 2,000th case involved a family that escaped a temporarily occupied area with a mother and three children after facing systematic intimidation.

The children were forced to attend a Russian school, while the family was threatened with fines and the possible removal of the children into an institution. Their home was repeatedly searched by Russian forces, and the children’s father, an ATO  veteran, was detained and subjected to violence, prompting the family to flee for safety.

“Each return is a long and complex process—from locating a child and verifying information to developing a safe route and reintegration,” said Maksym Maksymov, head of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, noting that some cases can take more than a year. He stressed that the 2,000 returns represent only “a small part of the road” toward bringing home all children taken by Russia.

Bring Kids Back UA is a Ukrainian humanitarian program initiated by Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2023. It brings together the efforts of Ukrainian authorities, other states, international and non-governmental organizations to return all Ukrainian children abducted by Russia during the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022.

The program provides for the reintegration of deported children, their socialization, the development of family-based forms of upbringing, as well as the recording of crimes and bringing the Russian Federation to justice for these crimes, in particular at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

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On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova for the illegal deportation and forced displacement of Ukrainian children.

Earlier, it was reported that, thanks to volunteers, a group of children and teenagers aged between two and 17 was successfully evacuated from the temporarily occupied left-bank area of the Kherson region.

Ukrainian authorities stated that a 17-year-old boy underwent combat training in the occupied territories, where he practiced in trenches, learned to disassemble weapons, and threw grenades.

Meanwhile, two younger boys, aged 11 and 9, were forced to attend propaganda lessons several times a week at school. Their parents were pressured to donate money “for the Russian army’s needs,” with threats to remove the boys from their family if they refused.

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