Ukraine identifies 5,600 children forcibly deported to Russia

The National Information Bureau of Ukraine has identified 5,600 children forcibly deported to Russia during the war, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry website reports.

“The real numbers are higher. We are currently developing a mechanism for returning these children,” Deputy Interior Minister Kateryna Pavlichenko stated. She added that as of today, “hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have been forcibly deported to the aggressor state”.

It is impossible to promptly verify the information provided by officials representing the warring sides during an ongoing conflict.

In mid-June, the Lithuanian parliament recognised the process of sending Ukrainian citizens to Russia as deportation of the Ukrainian people. The parliament’s resolution condemns the fact that over a million civilians had to flee their homes and were forcibly deported to Russia or to the territories under its control with the aim of eradicating the Ukrainian identity.