Ukraine returns 2,126 children abducted by Russia — Zelensky

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that thanks to the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, 2,126 Ukrainian children abducted by Russia have been returned home.

According to Ukrinform, the head of state said this in a video address during Civil Society and Expert Day as part of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children.

He said that, thanks to the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, they had managed to secure 2,126 returns and would continue this work. He added that they had engaged strong partner states as mediators to bring the children home. He expressed gratitude to every country that had joined the coalition for the return of children, as well as to every leader and first lady who cared about the fate of abducted children. He also thanked their team, diplomats, international organizations, and journalists who kept attention on rescuing the children.

Zelensky called the abduction of Ukrainian children one of the most cynical Russian war crimes. He emphasized that it is a systematic and deliberate removal of Ukrainian children, their dispersal across Russia, concealment of their fate, reshaping of their identity, and consistent Russification.

The President stressed that Russia wants Ukrainian children to forget they are Ukrainian and to be able to fight against Ukraine or anyone else designated by Russia's leadership.

He emphasized that it was extremely important to bring the children back home before the Russians broke them.

As Ukrinform reported, a 15-year-old girl was recently returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory from the temporarily occupied Kherson region; the occupiers had detained her mother and threatened to strip her of parental rights.

Photo: Bring Kids Back UA