The Ukrainian charity foundation Save Ukraine, which took action upon the government’s claims that Russia kidnapped thousands of children, announced that 31 Ukrainian children were brought back and reunited with their families on Friday.
“There are children who have been displaced five times in about five months. Some children said that they lived with mice and cockroaches,” said Mykola Kuleba, head of the charity, adding that the children were taken from Kherson and Kharkov with promises of being brought to a summer camp.
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for committing war crimes for takin part in illegally deporting the children.
According to data released by the Ukrainian government, 16,200 Ukrainian children have been illegally taken to Russia since the start of the war on February 24, 2022.