Tue Feb 04 13:52:06 UTC 2025: ## Ukraine Reclaims 12 Children Forcibly Taken by Russia
**KYIV, February 4, 2025** – Ukraine has successfully returned 12 children who were forcibly taken by Russia, according to Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The children were repatriated as part of the “Bring Kids Back UA” initiative, a program aimed at returning all Ukrainian children deported to Russia.
Among those returned were a 16-year-old who lost her mother, a 17-year-old conscripted into the Russian army, and an eight-year-old girl. While Ukraine claims over 19,500 children have been forcibly deported, this latest repatriation brings the total number of children returned to 388.
Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, stated they had no information about the returned children, adding that their office participates in family reunifications only when additional efforts are needed. Moscow maintains that its actions were for evacuation and protection of children from the war zone.
This latest exchange follows previous efforts by both countries to reunite children with their families. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Ms. Lvova-Belova and President Vladimir Putin in March 2023 related to the alleged abduction of Ukrainian children, a move Russia strongly condemned. Ukraine considers the deportations a war crime and a violation of the UN treaty definition of genocide.
First Piper 