Deportation of children to Russia: eleven minors repatriated to Ukraine through the mediation of Qatar

The UN called their transfer to Russia a “war crime.” This Monday, eleven Ukrainian children are going to leave Russia and join Ukraine, where their families are, through the mediation of Qatar.

These children, aged from 2 to 16 years old, were met on Monday at the Qatari embassy in Moscow and are due to arrive in Ukraine on Tuesday through Belarus, AFP journalists noted.

Some of the children in this group, two of whom are aged five and six, have chronic illnesses and special health needs. According to Moscow, a total of 59 children have already been repatriated to Ukraine through this mechanism.

Russia is accused by Kyiv of “deporting” thousands of children from the regions of Ukraine it occupied to its territory. Moscow, for its part, says it handed over the children to ensure their safety in the face of hostilities and is ready to hand them over to relatives in Ukraine if they ask.

“War crime”

Last year, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Russian Children’s Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for “war crimes” related to the policy. A decision that the Kremlin considers invalid.

“Qatar is working closely with its Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to make progress on the reunification initiative, but is also looking for ways to build trust in other areas,” said Lolwa Al Khater, Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, in a press release.

“We will continue mediation between the two sides for as long as necessary, with the hope that this can lead to a de-escalation of the conflict,” she added. Qatari diplomats will accompany eleven Ukrainian children on their way to Ukraine.

Among them is 13-year-old Adelia, who must join her aunt after losing her mother during fighting in her village of Mikhailovka, near Melitopol, in southeastern Ukraine, now occupied by Russian troops.

The four-year-old boy, who had gone to Krasnoyarsk in eastern Siberia with his seriously ill father, was picked up in Moscow by his Ukrainian mother and brought back to Kyiv.

A 16-year-old boy who lost his family during the evacuation of the Luhansk region, an occupied city in eastern Ukraine, returns to his aunt.

Another 14-year-old boy, whose mother, a member of the Ukrainian armed forces, was held as a prisoner of war by Russia for several months in 2022, will also be able to see her again.