A meeting took place in Kyiv between Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, and Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets at the Child Rights Protection Center. The main topic of discussion was the fate of Ukrainian children who have endured occupation, deportation, and separation from their families.
Dmytro Lubinets emphasized that the reintegration process is of immense importance. It involves not only returning children home but also providing psychological support, rebuilding trust, and creating conditions where they can once again feel safe. As part of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative, 1,645 children have already been returned.
Princess Anne showed genuine interest, asking specific questions about the number of children who have come back and the kinds of support international partners could provide. She also spoke with teenagers who had recently returned from deportation or life under occupation.
The children’s stories were deeply moving: Sashko endured injury, captivity, and separation from his mother; Valeria managed to escape on her own from a temporarily occupied territory; Marta secretly studied Ukrainian for years while living under occupation. They shared their pain and fears, but also their dreams — to study, to live at home, to see their loved ones.
According to Lubinets, such meetings once again remind the world that childhood in Ukraine today comes at an extraordinarily high price. He stressed that Ukraine will continue to speak the truth about Russia’s war crimes and do everything possible to bring every child home.
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