Qatar assists in return of 13 children from occupied territories and Russia to Ukrainian-controlled regions

Thirteen more children were successfully brought to the territory under Ukrainian control. They had previously been located in areas temporarily occupied or taken to Russia.

The Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, reported this.

According to the ombudsman, the stories of Ukrainian children returning home vary:

• Russian troops killed someone's parents,
• others had family members who attempted to bring them back but were met with opposition from the Russian Federation,
• and some children longed to be reunited.

According to Lubinets, a 15-year-old girl from Mariupol told what she had to go through after the start of a full-scale invasion.

The teen lost her home when a Russian tank hit it. She and her mother were forced to take refuge in the nearby church, and it was there that the child sustained a head injury.

The family finally achieved their goal after numerous attempts to leave the territory controlled by Ukraine.

"I want to reiterate that Ukraine is fully prepared for everyone's return and will offer essential humanitarian, medical, psychological, and social support. Furthermore, law enforcement officials will diligently document all crimes committed by Russians, especially those that have affected our innocent children as witnesses or victims," the message emphasized.

The ombudsman noted that the following participated in the return of the children:

• Office of the Commissioner,
• other state bodies of Ukraine,
• State of Qatar.

For reference:

It should be noted that a 17-year-old boy from the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia region was returned to the territory controlled by Ukraine.

It is worth noting that at least 1,993 children in Ukraine have been killed or injured since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation on February 24, 2022. These are the numbers that the UN managed to verify. However, UNICEF believes that the actual figure is probably much higher.

Rubryka previously reported that the number of children who died as a result of Russian attacks across Ukraine increased by almost 40% this year compared to last year.

According to UN-verified data, 25 children died as a result of the attacks from January 1 to March 31, 2024; the youngest was only two months old; nine children were killed in attacks during the first three weeks of April.

According to official UN data, since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, at least 600 children have died as a result of enemy attacks. More than 1,350 children were injured.