Ukraine returned another family with two children aged 5 and 12 from the occupied Hola Prystan in the Kherson region.
This was reported by the ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
The Russian military came to the house of the Ukrainians three times with searches. They refused to conduct an inspection without automatic weapons, as the family requested, so as not to frighten the children.
Living in constant fear, the family did not let their children out of the yard. And after the illegal Russian "elections", which were held under coercion and shelling, a neighbor-collaborator reported that the occupation authorities would deprive children who do not attend a Russian school of parental care.
So, in order for the son to continue his Ukrainian education, and the daughter to go to the 1st grade at a Ukrainian school, the parents tried to leave as soon as possible. It was difficult due to the lack of funds, because the father of the children did not, in principle, get a job with the occupiers, but earned money by helping the city residents.
Lubinets noted that residents of Hola Prystan have a pro-Ukrainian position, and teenagers have the courage to even voice it. However, the Russians take them out into the field and shoot them over their heads to intimidate them.
The family managed to leave for Ukraine. Children will be able to learn in a convenient way. They will also be helped to get a job in school, choose clubs and, if necessary, receive psychological help.
- The deportation of Ukrainian children is one of Russiaʼs war crimes, for which the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin and the Childrenʼs Ombudsman of the Russian Federation Maria Lvova-Belova. Currently, at least 19 453 Ukrainian children are known to have been forcibly deported to Russia. Ukraine also has evidence that Belarus participates in the deportation of Ukrainian children. In addition, Russia is illegally holding approximately 27 000 Ukrainian civilian hostages.