Ukraine Says 2,000 Children Returned From Russian Control Under Bring Kids Back UA
Officials cite forced schooling alongside threats of institutionalization as pressures pushing families to flee.
Overview
- President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Feb. 17 that the initiative has brought 2,000 minors home from under Russian control.
- The milestone case involved a mother and three children who exited a Russian‑occupied area after threats to take the children into an institution and forced enrollment in a Russian school.
- Bring Kids Back UA head Maksym Maksimov said occupation forces repeatedly checked the family’s home and used physical force while detaining and interrogating the children’s father, an ATO participant.
- Maksimov described the case as representative of efforts to re‑educate Ukrainian children for Russia’s objectives, including preparation for current and future wars.
- Officials say more than 19,000 Ukrainian children have been illegally deported or transferred, and the initiative also reported a separate rescue of a Crimean youth from attempted forced mobilization.