The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has appealed to the global community for decisive action to return all illegally deported and forcibly displaced Ukrainian children from the territory of the Russian Federation. The ministry emphasized the need for the immediate, safe, and unconditional return of children who have become victims of Russia’s aggression.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Strengthening international cooperation to protect children
On the Day of Remembrance for Children who died due to Russian armed aggression, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on international partners to actively join the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. This involves enhancing information exchange, supporting search mechanisms, verification, funding organized return programs, as well as rehabilitation and long-term reintegration of children affected by the war.
The Ministry specifically highlighted the importance of strengthening sanctions against all individuals and entities involved in illegal deportation, forced displacement, militarization, indoctrination, and illegal adoption of Ukrainian children.
“Participation in crimes against children must have inevitable political, legal, and economic consequences. Everyone who made decisions, organized, facilitated, or participated in deportation, forced displacement, illegal adoption, identity change, indoctrination, or militarization of Ukrainian children must face justice,” the statement reads.
The scale of the tragedy and accountability
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Ukraine remains committed to the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, international humanitarian and criminal law, as well as all international legal documents aimed at protecting children during conflicts. The ministry stressed the unacceptability of turning Ukrainian children into objects of political bargaining or compromises, and their return is defined as a key component of peaceful initiatives and diplomatic negotiations regarding future justice and security.
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, at least 707 Ukrainian children have died since the onset of the full-scale aggression by Russia, and each of these deaths represents a destroyed future and a crime for which Russia must be punished.
Every year on June 4, Ukraine honors the memory of children whose lives have been cut short by war. This day was established in 2021 by a resolution of the Verkhovna Rada and coincides with the International Day of Innocent Children — Victims of Aggression, proclaimed by the UN. Memorial events, moments of silence, and actions take place across the country, including the nationwide campaign “Voices of Children” to honor the memory of the fallen.
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, as of May 2026, at least 705 children have died as a result of Russia’s armed aggression, and another 2,527 have been injured to varying degrees. However, these figures are not final, as it is impossible to establish the full number of victims due to hostilities and the temporary occupation of part of the territories.
According to official data, during the full-scale war, more than 20,000 Ukrainian children have found themselves in the territory of Russia and in occupied territories. Meanwhile, Ukrainian ombudspersons note that the actual number of children who have been illegally taken out of the country may range from 150,000 to 300,000.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and children’s ombudsperson Maria Lvova-Belova, suspecting them of war crimes related to deportation and forced displacement, including of children, from occupied Ukrainian territories. Russia rejects these accusations.
Russian children’s ombudsperson Maria Lvova-Belova claimed in July 2023 that Russia had “accepted” about 4.8 million residents of Ukraine, of which over 700,000 are children. According to her, most of them allegedly arrived with their parents or relatives.