Parents refusing to evacuate children from frontline areas may face criminal liability

Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Kateryna Pavlichenko said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

"If parents or other adults refuse such evacuation, police officers are obliged to take the necessary legal measures. It is important to highlight that the primary objective is to ensure the safety of children, rather than to impose penalties on parents. Nevertheless, there are instances when administrative documents are prepared against parents for failing to fulfill their responsibilities with regard to child upbringing," the deputy minister said.

According to her, in some cases, these adults are already subject to criminal liability - when it comes to, for example, leaving a child in danger, etc.

She stated that the issue of evacuating children from the frontline areas is a very acute and painful humanitarian challenge faced by both Ukraine in general and the police in particular.

"This is a necessity at a time of active hostilities. Police officers are willing to risk their own lives in order to evacuate civilians from these regions, with particular attention paid to the safety of children and the elderly. We are conducting large-scale awareness-raising activities in this regard, but there are cases when adults, including parents with children, actually refuse to evacuate," Pavlichenko said.

She suggested that the death of six-year-old Elina Fedorenko from Avdiivka could have been prevented if her family had agreed to evacuate the city in a timely manner. The girl died from a heart attack.

"Of course, I would like to see fewer such cases. And also that people would understand and realize the danger, especially if there is a child in the family, and agree to evacuate," she said.

As reported, another 114 civilians, including 21 children and 10 people with disabilities, were evacuated from the Donetsk region to the Rivne region.