An Italian court has ruled that 57 Ukrainian orphans, aged 6 to 16, who were evacuated from Berdiansk following Russia’s full-scale invasion, will remain in Italy indefinitely, reports Ansa news agency.
The juvenile court in Brescia confirmed the immediate transfer of custody of the Ukrainian minors to Italian social services “so that they can continue their stay in the places where they are currently located,” effectively without time limits.
The court order states that “as reported in recent days by guardians, the Ministry of Justice, and UNHCR,” many children have applied or intend to apply for international protection to the territorial commission, “fearing for their safety in connection with returning to areas close to the theater of military operations.”
The court deemed it “appropriate to temporarily suspend the return to Ukraine of the aforementioned minors to allow the commission to conduct its investigation and make the necessary decisions regarding the applications submitted by the minors.”
The Brescia court also emphasized that “the return should be suspended for all minors, as they have constituted a single group since they arrived in Italy, represented by one responsible person, and therefore cannot be separated.”
The group arrived in Bergamo in March 2022 with several caregivers and was immediately welcomed by the city’s population. They came from two orphanages in Berdiansk, from where they fled during the Russian military advance.
According to the agency, the reason for the rush to return children without families is unclear. Italian authorities argue that the children’s interests should prevail, so they will remain in Italy indefinitely.
The article notes that the EU has become an observer in the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, with Ukraine and Canada as co-chairs. The coalition works to return Ukrainian children forcibly deported from occupied territories to other occupied regions or Russia.
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