More than 2,100 Ukrainian children abducted from Russia have been returned to Ukraine since the launch of the "Bring Back Our Children" initiative in 2023, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced. Since the beginning of this year alone, another 150 children have returned to their homeland, Ukrinform reported.
Zelensky stressed that the issue of the deportation of Ukrainian children has received international recognition, after it was classified as a crime against humanity at the UN level for the first time. According to him, this is an important step that must be followed by further actions and broader international support.
In this regard, Kiev is preparing a ministerial-level meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, which will be held on May 11 in Brussels. The Ukrainian side expects concrete decisions and commitments from its partners.
Meanwhile, Europol has provided the Ukrainian authorities with information related to the forced displacement of children, which further supports efforts to search for and return them.