Over 1,000 children illegally deported by Russia return to Ukraine

This was announced by Daria Herasymchuk, the Advisor-Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights, during a live TV broadcast, as reported by Ukrinform.

"To date, we have managed to return 1,007 children to Ukrainian-controlled territory. This group includes children who were deported and forcibly relocated, as well as those at risk of deportation from temporarily occupied territories who were rescued by missions before the crime of deportation could be committed," Herasymchuk explained.

She emphasized that the process of returning children illegally taken by Russia is extremely challenging. Rescue missions involve collaboration between government bodies, NGOs, and various charitable organizations.

"This is an incredibly complex and risky mission. Russia continues to do everything possible to retain these Ukrainian children. However, it is worth mentioning that today, several third-party countries are actively involved in the process of returning these children," said the Children's Rights Commissioner.

Herasymchuk highlighted the significance of the Joint Communiqué adopted at the Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of the Peace Formula in Montreal.

"One key point discussed was the ongoing search for mediator countries to negotiate with the Russian Federation for the return of these children. We can already confirm that Qatar, the Vatican, South Africa, Lithuania, and the UAE have committed to assisting in the return of Ukrainian children," she noted.

She also stressed: "Russia is making every effort to hinder and obstruct the monitoring and search for Ukrainian children."

"It's not just that they constantly relocate and hide these children, but they also change their names, surnames, and sometimes even birth dates, sending them for illegal adoption or guardianship in Russian families. This greatly complicates the search for the children. Additionally, in occupied territories of Ukraine and within Russia, international organizations like the ICRC still do not have access to temporary accommodation centers, orphanages, specialized schools, or medical facilities where Ukrainian children are being held. There is no international oversight over the placement of Ukrainian orphans or children deprived of parental care into Russian families. This information is simply not reported," she explained.

Herasymchuk pointed out that Ukraine learns about such cases from various sources, "but Russia does not report any information, neither to Ukraine nor to any international organization."

Thus, she emphasized, it is impossible to claim that there is a specific mechanism in place for tracking and identifying these locations, as Russia actively obstructs these efforts.

"Ukraine has documented at least 19,546 cases of illegal deportation or displacement of Ukrainian children. This figure is based on data from the official registry regarding children deported or forcibly relocated due to Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine. This registry is now transitioning under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice. We hope that this will further improve the organization of the data we have," Herasymchuk stated in response to a question about the number of children illegally deported by Russia.

At the same time, she warned that the actual number of deported Ukrainian children could be significantly higher, a figure that will only be fully known after the de-occupation of Ukrainian territories.

As previously reported, a two-day thematic conference focused on the fourth point of Ukraine's Peace Formula, "Release of Prisoners and Deported Persons," concluded in Montreal, Canada. The event saw participation from representatives of around 70 countries and international organizations and was co-hosted by Canada and Norway as co-chairs of the working group on this point.

The conference participants approved a Joint Communiqué, with a key focus on the Montreal Commitment aimed at facilitating the return of all Ukrainian captives and deported individuals.