Children living under shelling rescued from occupied Kherson region

Five more children have been returned from the temporarily occupied part of Kherson region to the territory controlled by Ukraine.

This was reported by the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration Oleksandr Prokudin.

Among the rescued children are four children aged 9 to 16 who were deprived of parental care, as well as one adult from this category.

One of the boys had been living under constant shelling for four years, with mines falling right in his yard and shells regularly flying over his house. The family was unable to leave the occupation.

Another girl was able to leave the temporarily occupied territory only after reaching the age of majority. She lived in conditions of water and food shortages, as well as constant pressure from the Russian military.

All the rescued people are now safe. They are being housed in assistance centers where they receive psychological support, housing and assistance in restoring their documents.

The children were returned as part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative with the support of Save Ukraine.

As Intent previously wrote, the UN International Commission concluded that the removal of Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories by Russia is a crime against humanity. In addition, the commission considers the delay in their return to Ukraine a war crime.

As a reminder, two underage girls were returned from the temporarily occupied Crimea to the territory controlled by Ukraine as part of the presidential initiative Bring Kids Back UA. The operation was conducted with the support of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network team.

Last year, in December, the UN adopted a resolution on the return of Ukrainian children by Russia. The international community overwhelmingly supported the document, which condemns the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children and demands their immediate return, an end to forced adoptions and ideological indoctrination.

The resolution was supported by 91 countries, while 12 voted against, including Russia. Despite international efforts, only 1,850 children were returned home at that time.

Андрій Колісніченко