Ukraine returns 2 children from Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast

Ukraine has managed to return two more children from Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast, bringing the total of freed children from the region to 31 this year, the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, Oleksandr Prokudin, reported on Feb. 21.

One of the children, a 17-year-old girl, was threatened by Russian soldiers who illegally broke into her home, searched her devices, and pointed weapons at her mother, according to Prokudin.

"They threatened to take the girl to a boarding school, and send the mother to the 'basement,'" Prokudin said.

"Fortunately, now the children and their families are safe and are receiving the necessary assistance in the Hope and Recovery centers," he added.

The children were returned under the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, which finds and returns Ukrainian children from occupied territories and Russia, alongside the Save Ukraine organization.

According to Ukraine’s national "Children of War" database, at least 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted from Russian-occupied territories and taken to Russia or Russian-controlled areas since February 2022. Some 1.6 million remain under Russian occupation, according to Bring Kids Back UA.

Ukrainian officials estimate the real figure of abducted children could be far higher. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets puts the number at up to 150,000, while Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Daria Herasymchuk has given a range of 200,000–300,000.

Despite multinational efforts from allies to rescue the children, some of whom have been forcibly sent to North Korea, only 2,003 have been returned to Ukraine. At least 684 have been killed and 2,369 wounded.

In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova for their role in state-sanctioned child abductions.