Russia has illegally stolen over 20,000 Ukrainian children, and there is also a risk of deportation for another 1.5 million Ukrainian children, according to Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
Speaking at the third plenary event of the international coalition for the return of Ukrainian children, he said, "I informed the participants that the russian federation has abducted more than 20,000 children from Ukraine. However, there is a significant risk of deportation for an additional 1.5 million children who remain in temporarily occupied territories. Those who are forcibly relocated or deported have their personal data altered to prevent their families or homeland from finding and bringing them back", - the ombudsman noted.
Lubinets emphasized that Ukrainian children are sent to so-called re-education camps, where they are indoctrinated with russian propaganda.
He also informed partners about the deportation of institutional facilities, such as the Oleshky Children's Home in the Kherson oblast. The children were first moved to occupied territories and later deported to russia. Children from the Kherson Oblast Orphanage were deported to russia and adopted without proper authorization.
"We are aware of cases where Ukrainian orphans taken to russia receive inadequate medical care and do not have decent living conditions", - Lubinets added.