Nadya Prishlyak19:12, 08.12.23

Russia says hundreds of thousands of children have been deported from Ukraine.

Forced deportation is one of the most cynical crimes of this war,  Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said at the first meeting of the international coalition of states on the return of deported Ukrainian children.

He noted that Russia itself claims hundreds of thousands of children deported from Ukraine, whom it “stolen and is trying to dissolve in its existence.” According to him, children are not simply taken out of the occupied territory of Ukraine, but Russia is deliberately trying to destroy any connection between children and Ukraine, with family and friends.

“Children are taught lies about Ukraine, lies about this war, children are given up for illegal adoption and even given away when the children themselves say that they have loved ones in Ukraine and are trying to restore contact. Children are taught to hate Ukraine, they are trying to erase their identity as Ukrainians, as free individuals. This is a clear genocidal policy of Russia,” the President of Ukraine emphasized.

Zelensky notes that the world knows that this crime of Russia against Ukrainian children, against our families is not something unsystematic, but the organized work of the Russian state system. At the same time, he added that the relevant work of the International Criminal Court and the arrest warrant for the main criminal of Russia is absolutely convincing evidence that the deportation of children, the deportation of Ukrainians and Ukrainian women will not go unpunished.

Zelensky called on all countries and international organizations to facilitate the speedy return of children to Ukraine so that the cruelty of Russian state criminals does not break the children, their connection with their country and relatives.

Kidnapping of children from Ukraine

As UNIAN reported, yesterday, Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmitry Lubinets, during the international conference on human rights “Freedom or Fear,” announced that the deportation of 19,546 Ukrainian children had been officially confirmed .

He says that if Ukraine returns one child every day, it will take 55 years to return all those abducted. In addition, the occupiers continue to take new groups of children out of the country every day.

(C)UNIAN 2023