Ukraine Returns 13 Children From Russian-Occupied Kherson Region

Thirteen children have been safely returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory from the occupied areas of the Kherson region.

This rescue was carried out under the Bring Kids Back UA presidential program. The group consists of five girls and eight boys ranging in age from three to seventeen, including one child who had been without parental care.

Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, announced on June 16 the news and described the harsh conditions the children faced while under Russian control.

He stated that some of the children were threatened with execution. Furthermore, Russian authorities forced some of the minors to register for military service despite existing health issues. On training grounds, the occupiers taught the children how to dig trenches, handle firearms, and throw grenades.

The children are currently undergoing a reintegration process at specialized centers. They are receiving psychological support, assistance with legal documentation, and a safe environment.

The forced deportation of Ukrainian children is recognized as a war crime. This issue led the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.

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Ukraine has officially verified the abduction of over 20,000 children since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While Russia claims to have relocated 744,000 children, Ukraine has also gathered evidence indicating that Belarus is involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children.

A “Joint Civil Society Statement” aimed at strengthening international efforts to repatriate thousands of Ukrainian children unlawfully deported or transferred was formally adopted on April 30, 2026, during the Civil Society and Expert Day in Kyiv.

This document, prepared within the framework of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “Bring Kids Back UA” initiative, represented a consolidated appeal from non-governmental organizations to the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children.

The statement highlighted what participants described as a severe and ongoing humanitarian crisis, noting that tens of thousands of Ukrainian children had been forcibly removed to Russia since 2014, with large-scale deportations accelerating following the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Experts involved in the process stressed that these actions were part of a systematic policy aimed at erasing Ukrainian identity through methods such as the forced imposition of Russian citizenship, placement into Russian adoption systems, and ideological indoctrination.

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