Ukraine returns 2,665 children taken by Russia

The Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights told Ukrinform this in response to a request from the agency.

“The issue of the deportation of Ukrainian children is being raised increasingly often on the international stage. Russia’s policy is aimed at severing Ukrainian children’s ties with their families, language and culture, and erasing their Ukrainian identity. As of October 7, 2026, the official state portal Children of War contains information on 2,363 children who are missing. At the same time, the whereabouts of 59,676 children have already been established. Separately, 20,651 cases involving the deportation and/or forced transfer of children have been recorded. As a result of the measures taken, 2,665 children have now been returned,” the document says.

The Commissioner’s Secretariat stressed the need to distinguish between such categories of children as those who are missing and those for whom the fact of deportation, forced transfer, or presence in temporarily occupied territory or in Russia has been established. According to the statement, not every child returned to territory controlled by the Ukrainian government had previously been listed as missing or wanted by Ukrainian law enforcement authorities.

The statement also notes that international partners play an important role in locating children and organizing their safe return. It said 83 children had been returned with the mediation of the State of Qatar, while 30 children in the most difficult cases had been returned with the support of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump.

As reported by Ukrinform, 208 children have been returned from the temporarily occupied part of the Kherson region since the beginning of the year.

Photo: Bring Kids Back UA