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Ukrainian Children Held by Russia Are Seen as Prisoners, Ukraine’s First Lady Says
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During one stage of negotiations, the Ukrainian delegation proposed the return of 300 children based on a verified list, while the Russian side suggested including them in an exchange list for prisoners of war, First Lady Olena Zelenska said.
In an interview with the British newspaper The Sun on June 24, Zelenska stressed the importance of keeping the issue of abducted children at the forefront of international attention.
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“The issue of children often remains behind the curtains. I’d really like this issue to be heard more loudly. For many of our children, the war has already become a background of their lives,” she said.
Zelenska emphasized that lasting peace is impossible without the return of all Ukrainian children taken by Russia, noting that official estimates put the number at no fewer than 20,000.
“Russians also considered children to be their prisoners. The round of negotiations in Turkey in Instanbul and the Ukrainian side tried to include the topic of illegal removal of the children in the dialogue in order to get at least some of the children to return them to Ukraine. A list of verified names of children was given about 300 children who we know exactly where they are in Russia… However, they really believe that the children they have kidnapped to be their prisoners,” the First Lady said.
She also highlighted the difficulties of returning abducted children, warning that Russia does not always need to transfer them deep into its territory to subject them to propaganda, as systems of indoctrination are already operating in occupied areas through schools, kindergartens, and so-called re-education camps.
Zelenska noted that Ukrainian children are forced to witness deaths of relatives and bury classmates killed in Russian attacks, leaving lasting psychological trauma. She said the state is doing everything possible to support them during the war.
“We should not let this next generation of Ukrainian children to be called the ‘generation of children of war.’ We strive to do everything possible to reduce all the consequences that may follow this war,” she said.
The First Lady’s remarks come amid allegations of the systematic relocation and indoctrination of Ukrainian children in Russia. Russian occupation authorities are transferring Ukrainian children to defense and sports camps in Russia’s Volgograd region under the guise of “health improvement” and “free recreation” programs.
Ukraine’s Center for National Resistance said that teenagers attending these camps are subjected to military-oriented training, including basic combat preparation, tactical medicine, weapons handling, and other army-related disciplines.
According to the Center, particular attention is given to orphaned children. After completing the programs, some of them are allegedly transferred to Russian orphanages or military-patriotic institutions.
The report noted that Russia is effectively developing a system aimed at separating Ukrainian children from their national identity and integrating them into Russian social and ideological frameworks.
Additionally, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, at least 707 children have been killed in Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression, according to Ukrainain President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s parliamentary human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets.
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