Kherson Governor: 5 children returned from Russian captivity

The NGO Save Ukraine has returned five children and an 18-year-old orphan from Russian-occupied territories, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on March 11.

Ukraine's Armed Forces liberated part of Kherson Oblast on the west bank of the Dnipro River in the fall 2022 counteroffensive. Russian troops continue to occupy the river's east bank, separating thousands of families.

At least 19,500 children have been confirmed as abducted by Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and less than 400 of them have been returned home, according to the Children of War database.

The 18-year-old and the five children, the youngest of whom is two years old, left Russian-controlled territory and are now safe, Prokudin said. They are receiving support from psychologists and doctors.

The work to return children from Russian-occupied territories is "work that does not stop for a moment," Prokudin said.

NGO returns 3 children from Russian-occupied territory

This time, the NGO rescued an eight-year-old boy, Yelysei, who lived with his grandmother in an occupied part of Kherson Oblast. When the boy’s grandmother died, “Russian occupation authorities immediately placed the child in an orphanage,” Kuleba said.

The Kyiv IndependentDaria Shulzhenko