Five children who had been separated from their families returned to Ukraine from the Russian Federation, while one child returned to Russia. This update was provided by the Russian Federation’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, via the TASS news agency. The phrase confirms a cooperative effort spanning three parties, with Russia, Ukraine, and Qatar playing a role in the arranged exchanges, according to socialbites.ca.
It was explained that through this tripartite collaboration, five children were reintegrated into Ukrainian territory, and one girl chose to stay or be repatriated to Russia. The regional ambassador for child welfare noted the ongoing process and suggested it represents a broader pattern of family reunifications being coordinated for the near future.
On October 29, officials acknowledged that dozens of Ukrainian families living in Western countries had reached out to Russia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations since spring 2023. Grigory Lukyantsev, who leads the Department of Humanitarian Cooperation and Human Rights at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that parents sought to have their children—selected by social services in the relevant states—returned. In August, Dmitry Polyansky, the first deputy permanent representative of Russia to the UN, stated that requests for aid in the return of Ukrainian refugee children in the European Union had started to come to Moscow.
Earlier, Lvova-Belova had spoken about the creation of a child protection system in Russia’s newly integrated regions, detailing steps to ensure the safety and welfare of children within those territories.