Russia must return all deported children to Ukraine - State Department

31.07.2023 23:55

Ukrinform

The U.S. government insists that Russia must stop the deportation of Ukrainian citizens, including children, from the occupied territories and return them all home.

U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller said this at a press briefing in Washington on Monday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"One of the worst incidents we have seen in this war is the deportation of Ukrainian civilians to Russia, including civilians who have been forcibly separated from their families," he said when asked to comment on the Russian authorities' admission of the deportation of more than 700,000 Ukrainian children.

Miller said that this was an important consideration in the Secretary's determination that Russian forces and officials have committed crimes against humanity.

"We call, as we have before, for Russia to stop those abusive actions and return Ukraine's children," he said.

He also added that the United States supports accountability for these crimes.

Russian children's commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova admitted in her report on Monday that Russia had deported about 4.8 million Ukrainians to its territory, including more than 700,000 children.