Yesterday at 21:51
Most Ukrainian children successfully brought back from Russia are teenagers capable of defending their Ukrainian identity, while returning very young children remains extremely difficult.
This was stated by Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets during a briefing, UATV English reports.
“Most of the children we manage to return are teenagers. It is very difficult to bring back very young children. A teenager can at least say: ‘I am Ukrainian. I don’t want to be on Russia’s side.’ It’s much harder for the Russian side to brainwash them. But with small children, it is much easier for Russians,” Lubinets said.
He stressed that Russia’s primary goal is the radical reprogramming of Ukrainian children’s identity into a Russian one. Therefore, Ukraine must continue pressing Moscow for their immediate return, as time is working against Ukraine, he added.
Lubinets also called on the international community to increase pressure on Russia, noting that “too much time has already been lost, and Ukraine has lost many children.”
He warned that any discussion about “freezing” the conflict or ceding territory to Russia would mean abandoning Ukrainian citizens — including children — and leaving them exposed to Russian propaganda, deportations, killings, or arbitrary detentions.
“That is why we constantly raise this issue publicly, conduct an information campaign about the deportation of Ukrainian children, and demand their immediate return,” he emphasized.
