Qatar helps return 11 children abducted by Russians to Ukraine
We are talking about children aged 2 to 16 years, which the Russians kidnapped from Ukraine.
This was reported by Censor.NET citing the Voice of America.
According to media reports, they were either in the occupied territories or in Russia during the war.
"For more than 6 months, Qatar has been working closely with its Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to make progress on the reunification initiative, as well as to find ways to build trust in other areas," said Lolwa Al-Khater, Qatar's Minister of State for International Cooperation.
As of Monday, February 19, all 11 children were at the Qatari embassy in Moscow before being reunited with their relatives in Ukraine.
The youngest in this group of children are twins aged two. According to the Independent, after the full-scale invasion, their parents placed the children in an orphanage in Russian-occupied territory due to financial difficulties. Their uncle, who is in Ukraine, took custody of the children.
Two more children, aged 5 and 6, were already living in an orphanage for children with special needs at the beginning of the invasion. During the offensive, the Russians moved them to the occupied Crimea.
Three children - a 10-year-old boy and two teenagers - were living alone in the occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions, their mothers died last year. They are expected to be reunited with their relatives in Ukraine.
Another boy, who is 14 years old, will return to Ukraine to his mother, who was held in Russian captivity in 2022 but has now been released.
A 16-year-old boy will be reunited with his aunt in Ukraine. His family died during an attempt to evacuate from occupied Luhansk.
Qatar's Minister for International Affairs said that Doha has established a mechanism for the safe return of Ukrainian children home. "We will continue to mediate between the two sides as long as necessary, with the hope that this will eventually lead to a de-escalation of the conflict," the official said.
Qatari authorities also reported that they had received a request for assistance in returning the children from Ukraine.
