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More Than 114,000 Ukrainians Are Missing, Up From 42,000 in Two Years
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Eighty-three delegations gathered in Toronto for the Pathways to Peace conference, where the EU announced sanctions against 27 individuals and entities involved in the deportation and indoctrination of Ukrainian children.
Bring Kids Back UA reported on September 29 that representatives of 72 states and 11 international organizations attended the conference, co-hosted by Canada, Norway, and Ukraine. Delegates also heard testimony from Ukrainians who survived Russian occupation and captivity.
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The EU sanctions target 27 additional individuals and entities involved in the deportation, forcible transfer, "re-education," and indoctrination of Ukrainian children. European Commissioner Dubravka Šuica also confirmed the EU's endorsement of the conference's joint communiqué.
This is a system, and the response to it must be just as systematic.
Maksym Maksymov
Head of Bring Kids Back UA
Maksymov urged participating states to deliver concrete commitments for returning Ukrainian children, civilians, and prisoners of war.
Norway announced approximately $25 million in additional funding for UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Canada also announced new funding for programs supporting survivors, returned civilians, prisoners' families, and children, while Japan backed a Council of Europe initiative focused on Ukrainian children.
Ukraine's Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity, Denys Uliutin, reported that more than 114,000 Ukrainians are now registered as missing, up from around 42,000 two years ago.
Ukrainian authorities know of more than 300 detention sites holding Ukrainians in Russia, Belarus, and occupied territories, while the ICRC has access to none of them.
Ukraine has verified 20,651 cases of deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children as of September 2026. By September 28, 2,650 children had returned home through the Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
The Toronto conference builds on work launched in Montreal in 2024 and complements the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children.
The coalition currently includes 51 members and coordinates diplomatic, humanitarian, legal, and informational efforts to return deported or forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.
Earlier, on September 18, the US president, Donald Trump, signed a law making the forced deportation of Ukrainian children an explicit ground for sanctions against Russia, covering both direct and indirect involvement.
Six days later, Washington announced $27 million to trace, return, and reintegrate Ukrainian children, including $12 million already approved for programs assisting those brought back from Russia and occupied territories.
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