KYIV, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Ukraine has successfully repatriated 12 children who were forcibly taken by Russia, announced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff.
Andriy Yermak, in a late Monday post on his Telegram messaging app, highlighted the return of the children under the President's initiative known as Bring Kids Back UA, aimed at reuniting children separated due to Russian occupation with their families in Ukraine.
The group of returned children included a 16-year-old girl who had lost her mother, a 17-year-old boy conscripted into the Russian army, and an eight-year-old girl, as detailed by Yermak.
Russia's Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, stated via email to Reuters that her office was not informed about the repatriation of these 12 children, indicating the involvement of international mediators in facilitating family reunifications with Ukraine.
Since February 2022, both Moscow and Kyiv have conducted multiple exchanges to reunite children with their families, with Ukraine reporting that more than 19,500 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied regions without proper consent, labeling these actions as war crimes amounting to genocide according to U.N. definitions.
While Russia claims it has been evacuating individuals voluntarily, Kyiv has managed to bring back 388 children so far, according to data released by Ukraine's Ministry of Reintegration.
In a noteworthy development, in March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Lvova-Belova and President Vladimir Putin relating to the abduction of Ukrainian children. Russia has vehemently criticized these warrants as "outrageous and unacceptable."