The Reintegration Ministry reported in their Telegram channel that on 5 February, Ukraine returned two children forcibly deported to Russia.
According to the ministry, the 13- and 15-year-old girls and their mother were deported from Luhansk Oblast to Ryazan, Russia. The mother passed away in Russia, and the children were placed in an orphanage.
Their eldest sister, who managed to evacuate to Volyn Oblast with her family, and is now their legal guardian, submitted an inquiry to the Ministry of Reintegration. They worked together to obtain custody of the girls and return them to their home country.
“Significant victory for our country: Ukrainian children should be in Ukraine,” said the ministry’s statement. “The girls have been reunited with their family and are completely safe.”
We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the charitable organization “SOS Children’s Villages in Ukraine,” the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, and the Service for Children of the Kolkiv Village Council, Volyn Oblast.
The coordination took about a month and a half. Finally, another significant victory for our country: Ukrainian children should stay in Ukraine. The girls have been reunited with their families and are in good health. They are surrounded by the warmth and love of their loved ones.
It is believed that thousands of children from Ukraine’s Russia-occupied territories were forcibly deported to Russia.
In particular, the US Mission to OSCE said Russia forcibly deported over 14,000 Ukrainian children to Russian territory. Meanwhile, Ukrainian experts suggest that Russians could deport 260,000-700,000 Ukrainian children to Russia.
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