Seven children freed from occupation — what they went through

The group of Ukrainian children has been returned from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Russian invaders had been putting pressure on them.

It was reported by the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, on Telegram on Tuesday, July 8.

Return of children from the temporarily occupied territories

Lubinets noted that the Ombudsman's Office managed to return another seven Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories. The children are aged between six and 17.

"All returned families faced significant restrictions in the temporarily occupied territories: the imposition of the "advantages of the Russian world" and compulsory passportization. Children were forced to attend Russian schools with ideological propaganda. Some families were threatened with deprivation of parental rights for refusing "promising education"," it is said in the statement.

The Commissioner added that one of the families was unable to receive medical assistance and move around safely due to the lack of Russian documents. Another family donated to the Armed Forces of Ukraine from day one and supported the military, which led to persecution by the occupation administration.

"All families and their relatives needed help in leaving for the controlled territory. Thanks to our institution and volunteer organizations, they were provided with support and assistance in leaving the temporarily occupied territories," Lubinets summarized.

As a reminder, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that the Russians offered to exchange their POWs for the abducted Ukrainian children.