Ukraine has successfully brought back two young individuals from Russian occupation: a 14-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy, as announced by Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
Two Children Have Returned
The 14-year-old girl was at risk of being placed in a Russian orphanage, but was rescued thanks to her aunt and older sister's efforts.
The 17-year-old boy lived for almost two years under shelling and sustained injuries.
“We will not stop until every Ukrainian child is safe. Step by step, we are fulfilling the president's task - to bring all children back home, without exceptions or conditions,” stressed Yermak.
He also expressed gratitude to the “Ukrainian Network for Child Rights” for their assistance in organizing the children's return.
Evacuation Challenges in Donetsk Region
In the Donetsk region, 106 children still remain in 17 localities where mandatory evacuation is underway.
“Currently, there are 106 children left in 17 localities in the region... these are children from 75 families,” reported acting head of the children’s affairs service of the Donetsk OVA, Yuliya Ryzhakova.
The highest number of un-evacuated children remains in Komarska (55 children) and Shakhivska communities (46 children).
In the last week, another 30 children were evacuated.
What to Know About the Return of Ukrainians
On February 4, twelve children were successfully returned from temporarily occupied territories.
On January 28, five children aged between 1.5 to 18 years were returned.
On January 7, three children - a 17-year-old boy and two younger boys - were brought back from temporarily occupied territories.
On December 9, another child was returned to Ukraine as part of President Zelensky's initiative Bring Kids Back UA, with the assistance of partners from the Ukrainian Network for Child Rights.
On November 6, a meeting took place at the Ombudsman’s Office with families of Ukrainian civilians held captive by Russia.
Ukraine has already returned over 1000 children from temporarily occupied territories and Russia.
On November 3, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, stated that Ukraine seeks to obtain from Russia a list of all Ukrainian prisoners of war that the RF is ready to return urgently.
