Editorial & Advertiser disclosure

Global Banking and Finance Review is an online platform offering news, analysis, and opinion on the latest trends, developments, and innovations in the banking and finance industry worldwide. The platform covers a diverse range of topics, including banking, insurance, investment, wealth management, fintech, and regulatory issues. The website publishes news, press releases, opinion and advertorials on various financial organizations, products and services which are commissioned from various Companies, Organizations, PR agencies, Bloggers etc. These commissioned articles are commercial in nature. This is not to be considered as financial advice and should be considered only for information purposes. It does not reflect the views or opinion of our website and is not to be considered an endorsement or a recommendation. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information provided with respect to your individual or personal circumstances. Please seek Professional advice from a qualified professional before making any financial decisions. We link to various third-party websites, affiliate sales networks, and to our advertising partners websites. When you view or click on certain links available on our articles, our partners may compensate us for displaying the content to you or make a purchase or fill a form. This will not incur any additional charges to you. To make things simpler for you to identity or distinguish advertised or sponsored articles or links, you may consider all articles or links hosted on our site as a commercial article placement. We will not be responsible for any loss you may suffer as a result of any omission or inaccuracy on the website.

Headlines

Ukraine brings back 12 children taken by Russia, Zelenskiy's chief of staff says

Published by Global Banking and Finance Review

Posted on February 4, 2025

Featured image for article about Headlines

By Oleksandr Kozhukhar

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine brought home 12 children forcefully taken by Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak said late on Monday.

"As part of the initiative of the President of Ukraine Bring Kids Back UA, it was possible to return home 12 children who were under the pressure of the Russian occupation," Yermak said on his Telegram messaging app.

The Bring Kids Back UA programme under Zelenskiy is an initiative to return home all children forcefully deported from Ukraine, according to the initiative's statement.

Among the returned children is a 16-year-old girl who lost her mother, a 17-year-old teenager who was issued a summons to the Russian army, and an eight-year-old girl, Yermak said.

There was no immediate comment from Russia. The office of Russia's Commissioner for Children's Rights did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment outside of business hours.

Moscow and Kyiv have carried out several exchanges of children to be reunited with their families since the start of the war that Russia launched with its full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukraine says that more than 19,500 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territory without the consent of family or guardians since the war began, calling the abductions a war crime that meets the U.N. treaty definition of genocide.

Russia has said it has been evacuating people voluntarily and to protect vulnerable children from the war zone.

Kyiv has been able so far to bring back 388 children, according to data published by Ukraine's Ministry of Reintegration.

In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued warrants for the arrest of Russia's commissioner for children Maria Lvova-Belova and President Vladimir Putin related to the abduction of Ukrainian children. Russia denounced the warrants as "outrageous and unacceptable".

(Reporting by Oleksandr Kozhukhar; Writing by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Michael Perry)