Returning children abducted by Russia “priority” for Ukraine - Head of Zelensky’s Office

This was reported by the press service of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Ukrinform saw.

"At the behest of President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, the head of the Office of the Head of State, Andriy Yermak, held a working meeting with representatives of state authorities on issues of child protection and safety, discussing the action plan that will be presented at the meeting of the Coordination Council of Ukraine on Child Protection and Safety next week," the report says.

As Yermak noted, the key goal of the specified plan is to return children illegally deported by Russia from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

"We are faced with an extremely important and extremely difficult task – to return all our children, whom the occupiers stole from their families, to our people. We must protect their rights to a free and happy life. We must also protect all Ukrainian children in the occupied territories and in general throughout the territory of Ukraine. Russia must be separately held accountable for the crimes committed against Ukrainian children. This is our first priority, which was identified by the President of Ukraine and which must be implemented as effectively as possible," emphasized the head of the Office.

Within the framework of the plan, a number of highly effective measures are foreseen, involving the international community, in particular representatives from the governments of partner states, specialized experts and institutions, the public sector, as well as highly acclaimed artists and athletes.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Head of the President’s Office Yuliya Sokolovska, Advisor to the President of Ukraine on Children's Rights and Child Rehabilitation Daria Herasimchuk, Human Rights Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Lubinets, Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna, other members of the Cabinet, as well as advisers to the Head of the President’s Office.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, referring to the Office of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, since the beginning of the full-scale war, Russia has illegally deported 19,384 Ukrainian children.