Zelenskyy: Ukraine identifies 400 sites in Russia holding abducted children

KYIV – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has informed members of the U.S. Senate that Ukrainian investigators have identified 400 locations in Russia where Ukrainian children are illegally being held. 

Speaking online with the lawmakers on Nov. 13, Ukraine’s second war-time president described the ongoing search and recovery mission as one of the most difficult and morally urgent undertakings of the war. 

“We increase the number of found children each day. But this is not only about how they were stolen. It’s about how to find them. And this is a difficult job. A very important one,” Zelenskyy said.

The revelation indicates that the scale of what international bodies have described as one of the most systemic child deportation campaigns in modern history is an alleged war crime that has already led to arrest warrants for Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin and his children’s commissioner, Mari Lvova-Belova, which was issued by the International Criminal Court. 

Zelenskyy underlined that global involvement is crucial to securing the repatriation of thousands of Ukrainian children, many of whom are believed to be dispersed across state institutions and foster care systems in Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories. 

He also thanked U.S. First Lady Melania Trump for helping facilitate the repatriation of some of Ukrainian children, and reiterated the ongoing cooperation with the Middle Eastern country of Qatar and the Vatican in Rome that are the two intermediaries that have quietly brokered humanitarian repatriation missions in recent months. 

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, more than 1,600 children have been returned to Ukraine, while the total number of children abducted by Russia is estimated at around 19,500.

During the online meeting with Zelenskyy, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (North Carolina) said that the U.S. Congress is reviewing bills addressing the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and the use of frozen Russian assets.

“We have strong bills that have already passed out of committee. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and James Risch have worked effectively on initiatives recognizing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, addressing child abductions, and on the REPO Act regarding frozen assets,” Graham said, quoted by Suspilne.