MOSCOW/KYIV – In a significant humanitarian development, Russia and Ukraine have agreed to return a total of nine children to their families, following mediation by Qatar. The exchange, which took place on Nov 28, is the latest in a series of such agreements facilitated by Qatar amid the ongoing conflict between the two nations.
According to Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children, six boys and one girl, aged six to 16, will be reunited with relatives in Ukraine. Many of these children had been living in Russia, often with close relatives such as grandparents. One boy, who had been in an orphanage in Russia, will be taken in by his brother in Ukraine.
The repatriation also includes two Russian children, aged seven and nine, who had been living in Ukraine. The older boy is returning to his mother in Russia after living with his father and grandmother in Ukraine since 2019. The younger boy will be reunited with his father in Russia after his mother’s death.
While the exact circumstances of how these children ended up in Russia remain unclear, Ukraine has raised concerns, claiming that approximately 20,000 children have been forcibly relocated to Russia or Russian-occupied territories since the war began. Ukrainian authorities label this as a war crime and an act of genocide, as many of these children were taken without consent from their families or guardians.
Russia, on the other hand, insists that it has been protecting vulnerable children from the dangers of the war zone. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Ms. Lvova-Belova in March 2023, accusing them of involvement in the abduction of Ukrainian children. Russia has condemned these warrants as “outrageous and unacceptable.”
The latest agreement marks a rare moment of cooperation between the two warring nations, with Qatar continuing to play a key role in facilitating humanitarian exchanges.