Another 15 children returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory

Another 15 Ukrainian children have been returned to the government-controlled territory from the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

This was announced by Mykola Kuleba, the founder of the charitable organization Save Ukraine, on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.

“We helped another fifteen Ukrainian children to leave the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions thanks to the coordinated cooperation with Bring Kids Back UA,” he wrote.

In total, according to Kuleba, the organization has managed to return 538 children who found themselves in difficult conditions due to the Russian occupation.

He also told the stories of the rescued children, whom the occupiers forced to attend Russian schools and tried to mobilize into the Russian army.

In particular, 17-year-old Kyrylo was served with a summons by the Russians and confronted with the fact that, as “a freshly minted Russian citizen”, he was now obligated to serve in their military. Similarly, Kateryna's son was also at risk of being conscripted into the Russian army. Consequently, she took extensive measures to ensure his safety and facilitate his relocation to Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Kuleba said that all of the returned children and their families are now safe and have access to the necessary support and assistance.

As Ukrinform reported, Daria Ferasymchuk, Advisor – Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights and Child Rehabilitation, announced that as of November 14, 1, 007 children who had been illegally deported and displaced by the Russian Federation were successfully returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory.