Russia to hand Ukraine list of children for return – children's rights commissioner
Russia is working on a new list of children it will submit to Ukraine so they may be reunited with their families, Children's rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova told media on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Thursday.
Since the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, Moscow has evacuated children from the combat zone and relocated them to safety until they could be reunited with their families. Kiev, however, has accused Russia of 'kidnapping'.
'We have children currently in Ukraine who need to be reunited with their Russian families,' said Lvova-Belova, noting that Russia plans to submit a list of names during the next round of direct talks.
Five children among 339 listed by Ukraine at the latest round of talks in Istanbul are now being prepared for return, she confirmed.
Following the latest talks Moscow's chief negotiator for the Ukraine conflict, Vladimir Medinsky noted Ukraine's previous accusations of over a million of 'stolen children' as being primarily for 'propaganda purposes.'
Moscow and Kiev have agreed to carry out a series of exchanges, focusing on seriously injured, ill and younger captives. Russia also unilaterally repatriated the bodies of more than 6,000 fallen Ukrainian troops. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow received only 57 bodies of Russian soldiers in return.
Russian authorities have regularly reported on efforts undertaken to reunite displaced children with their families. In February this year Lvova-Belova announced that 17 children from 11 families had been reunited with relatives in Russia, while 95 more were connected to relatives in Ukraine and other countries under a Qatar-mediated agreement.
She has repeatedly called Kiev's claims of abductions a 'systemic myth' and pledged to continue facilitating family reunifications.
In 2023, Lvova-Belova was named alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin by the International Criminal Court (ICC) as key suspects in an investigation into the alleged unlawful deportation and transfer of minors during the Ukraine conflict. Russia, however, has dismissed the claims as politically motivated, explaining that it evacuates children from the conflict zone to protect them.
Russian officials have also stressed that displaced children are not adopted in Russia but placed under temporary guardianship or foster care until they can be returned to their families.
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