Europeans not fully aware of scale of Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children – CoE envoy

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The general public, even in European countries, does not fully understand the situation surrounding Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children, including its scale and underlying causes.

Thordis Gylfadottir, the Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on the situation of children of Ukraine, said this in comments to Ukrinform.

Gylfadottir said raising awareness was critically important because many people in different countries, including in Europe, were either unaware of the issue or had only partial knowledge of it. She stressed that the public needed to understand the real-time situation, its scale, and the reasons behind it.

According to her, Russia has been acting "strategically and systematically," which is why coordinated action from international organizations and courts is necessary.

Gylfadottir noted that there appears to be no genuine willingness on Russia's part to return the abducted children, and that successful returns have been achieved primarily through mediation efforts. She added that the Council of Europe cooperates with such organizations and also assists with the reintegration of returned children into society.

She also pointed out that around 1.5 million children are currently living in temporarily occupied territories, while access to reliable information about their condition and well-being remains limited. In her opinion, the international community, including Ukraine's friends and allies as well as those concerned with humanity and children's safety more broadly, should devote greater attention to this issue.

Read also: Ukraine brings back six more children from temporarily occupied part of Kherson region

The special envoy also said she works closely on support for Ukrainian children with Vanessa Frazier, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 30 that Ukraine's Bring Kids Back UA initiative had secured the return of 2,126 Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

Photo: Bring Kids Back UA