Russia’s child abduction campaign aims to destroy Ukrainian identity – Zarivna

30.05.2025 11:43

Ukrinform

Russia has created a comprehensive system of indoctrination for abducted Ukrainian children – spanning from kindergartens to universities.

According to the website of the President of Ukraine, this was stated by Daria Zarivna, Chief Operating Officer of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, during the event titled "Fragile: Childhood, War, Occupation, Deportation," as reported by Ukrinform.

“From kindergartens to universities – the entire system is aimed at erasing memory, destroying identity, and raising soldiers who will fight against their homeland. That is why it’s important to speak about this openly. Documentaries like Stolen Childhood are powerful tools for international advocacy,” Zarivna said.

A special screening of the documentary Stolen Childhood, which tells real-life stories of Ukrainian children who lost their parents, experienced occupation, forced deportation, or were illegally taken to Russia, was held as part of the event.

“We are dealing not only with the physical abduction of children but also with a centralized attempt to annihilate their Ukrainian identity,” Zarivna emphasized.

Special attention during the event was given to the issue of reintegration after the children return home. Iryna Tuliakova, Head of the Coordination Center for Family Upbringing and Child Care Development, stressed that all participants in the process must work in coordination.

“As part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, we and our partners have developed a dedicated reintegration pathway – a return route for each child: from the moment they enter the Child Rights Protection Center to their full recovery and reintegration into their community and family,” Tuliakova said.

The public discussion also included: Oksana Lebedieva, founder of Gen.Ukrainian, Anastasia Stepula, advocacy advisor at the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, as well as representatives from NGOs, educational institutions, and the media.

As reported by Ukrinform, on May 28, 11 more Ukrainian children were returned home from temporarily Russian-occupied territories as part of the President of Ukraine's Bring Kids Back UA initiative.