Ukraine has already managed to return 1,247 illegally deported children from Russia

This was reported by the Office of the President.

The Ukrainian delegation began an advocacy visit to the United Kingdom as part of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s initiative Bring Kids Back UA. The purpose of the visit is to strengthen cooperation between countries to return Ukrainian children who were illegally deported by Russia.

The delegation includes: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Maryana Betsa, Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office, Chief Operating Officer of Bring Kids Back UA Dariya Zarivna, and Head of the public organization Save Ukraine Mykola Kuleba.

The delegation held a public briefing for the House of Lords’ International Relations and Defence Committee and a closed briefing for the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. The discussions covered Russia’s crimes against Ukrainian children, including deportations, forced relocations, militarization, Russification, and obstruction of their return home.

«We have returned 1,247 children, but at least 1.6 million remain under Russia’s control. Ignoring this means Russia will have a generation of Ukrainians that may be turned into instruments of war against Europe’s freedom and security. We must do everything possible to prevent this», noted Zarivna.

Betsa urged the UK to continue championing children’s rights, support sanction pressure on Russian criminals, and help develop new mechanisms of international accountability.

The issue of returning deported Ukrainian children was also discussed at the weekly British Parliament meeting.

«The abduction of Ukrainian children is a horrific crime, and the UK will go to great lengths to bring them home. This is a stark reminder that any peaceful resolution must involve holding Russia accountable for its disgraceful actions», said UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The Ukrainian delegation also met with the Director of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute and Co-Chair of the International Expert Group Bring Kids Back UA, Helena Kennedy.

They discussed expanding mechanisms for the return of abducted Ukrainian children—from developing cooperation with current intermediaries to creating new tools, the role of illegally deported children in the negotiation process, and using frozen Russian assets in the UK for Ukraine’s needs.

Russia’s systematic violations of Ukrainian children’s rights and ways to increase international pressure for the swift return of young Ukrainians home were also highlighted by the delegation during a meeting with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ukraine in the British Parliament.

The association includes representatives from all parliamentary political forces, many of whom directly shape the UK’s policy towards Ukraine.

During all meetings, the delegation emphasized that the return of deported and forcibly displaced Ukrainian children should remain among the key issues on the international agenda, particularly in future peace negotiations.

This is critically important for achieving a just and lasting peace.