Another group of Ukrainian children from Mykolaiv region returned from deportation to Russia
Another group of Ukrainian children and teenagers — former pupils of the Novopetrivska Special School in Mykolaiv Oblast, who were forcibly taken to Russia by Russian occupiers at the beginning of the full-scale invasion — have been returned home.
Source: Bring Kids Back UA
The return took place as part of the Ukrainian President’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative, with the support of the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.
During the occupation of part of the Mykolaiv region in 2022, Russian troops deported children from the Novopetrivska Special School, including orphans and children deprived of parental care.
The occupiers transported the children through Crimea to Russia.
The school principal tried to save the children until the very last moment. She refused to be forcibly evacuated to occupied Crimea and sought opportunities to transport the children to territory controlled by Ukraine.
When the occupiers learned of these attempts, an armed unit of the Russian Guard arrived at the school in armored Tigr vehicles. Under threat, the children were forcibly taken first to the left bank of Kherson Oblast, then through Crimea, and later by train to the Russian city of Anapa.
Return via Moldova
Thanks to the coordinated actions of Ukrainian state institutions, international organizations, and diplomatic partners, the children and their accompanying persons were safely returned to Ukraine via Moldova.
“This is another step towards restoring justice. Every child has the right to live in their own country, close to those who love and care for them,” the Ombudsman’s Office emphasized.
The children are now home
The children are currently in a safe place under the care of specialists who are helping them adapt, reintegrate, restore their documents, and start a new peaceful life.
Ukraine expressed its gratitude to the Ombudsman’s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and all partners of Bring Kids Back UA who are helping to rescue and return Ukrainian children illegally taken to Russia.
