Russia to Return Five Ukrainian Children Separated by War
Russia has announced plans to return five Ukrainian children who were separated from their families during the ongoing war, according to an official statement on Thursday.
Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, said the children will be reunited with their families in Ukraine by the end of June. She made the announcement during a media briefing on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
“These children are finishing their school year, and after that, they will return to their relatives in Ukraine,” Lvova-Belova said, responding to a question from Russian news agency Interfax.
The five children are among 339 names submitted by Ukrainian officials to their Russian counterparts during recent peace negotiations in Istanbul. Those talks, held earlier this month, ended without a breakthrough to stop the three-year-old war.
Lvova-Belova did not provide updates on the status of the remaining children on the Ukrainian list.
Ukrainian authorities have long accused Russia of abducting children from occupied territories and relocating them across the border since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lvova-Belova, accusing them of war crimes involving the unlawful transfer of Ukrainian children.
Moscow denies the accusations, insisting that children were moved for their safety from active conflict zones.
Meanwhile, Lvova-Belova revealed that Russia is compiling its own list of children believed to be in Ukraine or in European countries after being evacuated from the war. She said Russia is seeking the return of eight children currently in the EU and about ten more still in Ukraine, claiming their families reside in Russia.
“We are negotiating with the Ukrainian side to secure the reunification of Russian children with their families,” she said.
The next round of peace talks, where such exchanges may be discussed further, has yet to be scheduled.
