On Monday, eleven Ukrainian children departed Russia bound for Ukraine, marking the latest phase of exchanges facilitated by a mediation effort led by Qatar amidst the ongoing conflict.
Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, conveyed on the messaging app Telegram that this transfer represented the largest cohort of children thus far in their family reunification endeavors commissioned by the Russian president.
Kyiv has reported approximately 20,000 children relocated to Russia since Moscow’s invasion in February 2022, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemning these movements as “genocide.”
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lvova-Belova, alleging their involvement in the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.
Lvova-Belova specified that the children repatriated on Monday hailed from various regions, including the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk territories, as well as Russian-annexed Crimea, and even the Krasnoyarsk region in Siberia.
These children, aged between two and sixteen, were accommodated at the Qatari embassy in Moscow prior to embarking on a lengthy journey through Belarus, slated to bring them into northwestern Ukraine by Tuesday.
Footage disseminated by the state news agency TASS depicted Lvova-Belova and Qatar’s Ambassador to Moscow, Ahmed bin Nasser bin Jassim Al Thani, extending greetings to the children upon their arrival at the embassy.
Lvova-Belova acknowledged Qatar’s significant role, attributing their involvement to “participation in the negotiations, accompaniment, transportation, and other associated expenses” in facilitating the children’s return.
Qatari officials disclosed in December that Doha’s mediation efforts were initiated following appeals from both Moscow and Kyiv, seeking avenues for potential cooperation.
“Through these collaborative endeavors, the tally of children reunited with their families in Ukraine under our facilitation will rise to 59,” Lvova-Belova affirmed on Monday.
