Ukraine has successfully repatriated 13 children from Russia and Moscow-occupied territories with the assistance of Qatar, as confirmed by officials in Kyiv.
Andriy Yermak, the president's chief of staff, announced on Telegram that the children have been reunited with their families in Ukraine. According to Russia's TASS news agency, Moscow handed over six children, ranging in age from 6 to 17.
Furthermore, Ukraine's human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, disclosed that seven children were returned from Russian-occupied territories. Kyiv has highlighted that approximately 20,000 children were taken from Ukraine to Russia or Russian-occupied territory without family or guardian consent, labelling it as a war crime and meeting the UN treaty definition of genocide. In contrast, Moscow asserts that it has safeguarded vulnerable children from the conflict zone.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and children's ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova on war crimes charges associated with the abduction of Ukrainian children, a claim denied by the Kremlin. The mediation efforts of Qatar, starting in July 2023, led to the first repatriation in October.
