Ukraine has returned five Ukrainian children aged between 1.5 and 18 years from Russian occupation.
This was reported by Daria Zarivna, advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office, on Telegram.
According to Zarivna, among those returned is the 15-year-old daughter of a Ukrainian servicewoman who was recently freed from captivity.
"While the mother was in captivity, her family had to conceal their plans to leave to avoid endangering her," Zarivna wrote.
Also rescued from occupation was an 8-year-old boy who, despite the occupiers’ ban, secretly attended a Ukrainian online school during this time. A 17-year-old youth, firmly holding a pro-Ukrainian stance, personally sought help to escape occupation and continue building his future in Ukraine. He celebrated his 18th birthday back home.
"Each return is a complex operation that requires coordination of many efforts. Special thanks to the team at the Ombudsman's Office for organizing the rescue mission and ensuring the safe return of our children from occupation," the message said.
It should be noted that, according to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, Russia has deported over 19,000 children from Ukraine. So far, slightly more than 1,000 deported children have been returned home. He also mentioned the risk of deportation for 1.5 million Ukrainian children currently in occupied territories.
