Ukraine-Russia Child Exchange Deal
Recent developments in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia have brought attention to the issue of children displaced by Moscow’s invasion. Here are the key points:
Qatari-Brokered Child Exchange
- Ukraine believes Russia has illegally taken more than 19,000 of its children since the start of the 2022 invasion.
- Less than 400 children have been returned to Ukraine so far.
- Russia and Ukraine have agreed to exchange almost 50 children displaced by the invasion in a deal brokered by Qatar.
Announcement in Doha
The Kremlin’s children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova announced the child exchange deal in Doha on Wednesday.
Details of the Exchange
In the exchange, 29 children are set to return to Ukraine, while 19 will go to Russia.
No specific information was provided on why the children were in Russian custody or their origins.
Controversy and Denials
Moscow has been accused of forcibly taking Ukrainian children into Russian territory during the conflict.
Lvova-Belova, wanted by the International Criminal Court on related charges, denies the accusations.
Russia claims it moved children to safety away from conflict zones, refuting Ukraine’s allegations of illegal deportation.
Sensitive Situation
The fate of these children has been a highly sensitive issue in Ukraine since the conflict began.
Some children lost their parents, while others were separated from caregivers due to the rapidly changing front lines during the invasion.
Children living in Ukrainian orphanages in occupied areas were reportedly taken to Russia by Moscow’s forces.
Cultural Impact
Ukraine accuses Russia of attempting to erase the Ukrainian identity of these children, with reports of teenagers being subjected to Russian patriotic education.
Some children who returned to Ukraine shared experiences of being influenced to praise the Russian army.
