Three Ukrainian children returned from Russia, occupied territories

Three Ukrainian children have been returned to their families under the Bring Kids Back UA plan from Russia and the Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast, Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported on Dec. 16.

A boy born in 2008 and a girl born in 2011 were brought from Kherson Oblast and are now with their mother. Another boy, born in 2011, was taken by his father to Russia against his will but has been reunited with his mother in Georgia.

“Each return is a separate story and a special operation that people are working on. And their goal is to return all children to their homeland. I am grateful to everyone who helps to do this. We will fight for every Ukrainian child and return them all,”  Lubinets wrote on Telegram.

The State of Qatar is involved in the mediation process of the Bring Back Kids UA project. The Gulf country has played a significant role in helping the return of deported Ukrainian children.

The Ukrainian government has identified over 19,500 children who have been deported or forcibly displaced by Russia, less than 400 of whom have been returned to Ukraine.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Maria Lvova-Belova and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in March over their role in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children.

Qatar announces return of 6 Ukrainian children from Russia

Following negotiations mediated by Qatar, Russia has allowed six Ukrainian children to return to their families in Ukraine, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry announced on Dec. 5.

The Kyiv IndependentElsa Court