Latest news with #MariaLvovaBelova
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia to return 5 Ukrainian children separated from families by war
Russia announced on Thursday that it is returning to Ukraine five children who have been separated from their families by the war. Maria Lvova-Belova, the Kremlin's commissioner of children's rights, told reporters that the Ukrainian children will be reunited with their families in Ukraine by the end of this month. The children were on a list of 339 children that Ukrainian officials gave their Russian counterparts during the last round of peace talks earlier this month in Istanbul, Turkey -- negotiations that failed to bring the three-year war to an end. In response to a question from the Russian news agency Interfax, Lvova-Belova, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, said the delay in sending the Ukrainian children back to their county was "due to their studies." "They are finishing the school year and after that they will return to their relatives in Ukraine," she said. Lvova-Belova did not mention status of the other children on Ukraine's list. MORE: How Trump's threats to abandon Ukraine war pose battlefield conundrums for Kyiv According to Lvova-Belova, Russia is preparing its own list of Russian children believed to be in Ukraine. She said it will be handed over to Ukrainian officials whenever the next round of negotiations is scheduled. MORE: Ukrainian children who fled Russia's invasion transform Ukrainian school in Canada "We also have children in Ukraine who require reunification with Russian families," Lvova-Belova said. "At the moment, we have eight children on the list who are in EU countries. They were evacuated there from Ukraine, and their parents are in Russia. And from Ukraine, we have about 10 people, with whom we are also currently negotiating their return." Ukrainian officials have alleged that many of the country's children have been abducted and taken to Russia since the war began in February 2022, when Russian troops invaded Ukraine. MORE: Trump faces mounting pressure at home and abroad as he weighs options on Iran In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued warrants for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges related to the abduction of Ukrainian children. The Kremlin, however, has denied the allegations, saying the children were taken out of war zones for their own protection. ABC News' Anna Sergeeva contributed to this report.
Russia Today
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
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.
