Only 69 Ukrainian children deported by Russia retuned home - minister

Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk says Ukraine was able to return from Russia only 69 children earlier deported by the invasion forces.

The minister stated this at the meeting of the Coordinating Council for the Protection and Safety of Children, Ukrinform reports with reference to the President's Office.

According to Vereshchuk, another 27 children were returned from the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Daria Herasymchuk, authorized adviser to the President of Ukraine on child rights and rehabilitation, reported with reference to data from the National Information Bureau that more than 10,500 children are on the list of deported and forcibly displaced persons.

The President’s Office states that the number of children forcibly deported by Russia from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine is currently unknown.

"The Russian Federation continues to commit its crimes related to Ukrainian children. Children are being transported  (out of Ukraine – ed.). Unfortunately, due to the quite passive position of international organizations, in particular the ICRC, today we are not able to record the exact number of how many our children are there and where," said Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak.