Number of missing, abducted Ukrainian children revealed

Russia, under various pretexts, took 450 children out of the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. They, taking advantage of the situation that arose as a result of the occupation, stole our children, Governor of Kharkiv Oblast Oleh Synyehubov said in an interview with Report.

"We returned some of the children. We are talking about about 50 minors. We know where about half of the rest - about 200 children are. We are systematically working with our international partners in this matter. But we have no information about the whereabouts of 150-200 children. But our search continues. We must resolve this issue," Synyehubov said.

Jane Aliyeva, director of the PAYBACK4UKRAINE legal program investigating war crimes and founder of the MAMA JANE charity foundation, told Report that, according to official figures, the Russian side has killed 496 Ukrainian children so far.

"As a result of missile attacks, shelling and other war crimes of the invaders, 1,068 children were injured, a thousand children are considered missing.

During the war, 13 cases of sexual violence against children under 18 were recorded. The authorities of Ukraine announced that they had identified the whereabouts of almost 20,000 children who had been kidnapped from us. And in total, unfortunately, only 385 children could be returned from illegal deportation. But I must note the fact that we do not have access to such cities as Mariupol and other occupied territories, so the real statistics, unfortunately, are much higher," Jane Aliyeva specified.

She noted that the Russian authorities recently announced about 700,000 children, "whom they supposedly saved, that is, kidnapped."

"The world must do everything to stop the terrorists and return our children home. Let me remind you that the international legal project PAYBACK4UKRAINE is very closely studying the case of the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children, and we will do everything in our power to punish everyone who is involved in this," Jane Aliyeva added.