11 Ukrainian children deported from Russia after Qatari mediation

Kyiv accuses Moscow of dividing families

Eleven Ukrainian children traveled from Russia to Ukraine on Monday to be reunited with their families in the latest transfer between the warring sides under a Qatari-brokered plan.

The children, aged between 2 and 16, were placed at the Qatari embassy in Moscow on Monday before making the long journey through Belarus into northwestern Ukraine on Tuesday.

This latest surgery involved several children with special medical needs, including two children aged five and six who had chronic medical conditions.

In October, transfers of children from Ukraine to Russia began in batches under the program.

Russia said a total of 59 children had been repatriated to Ukraine through this mechanism.

Kiev accuses Moscow of dividing families and brainwashing children by moving them from Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine to Russia, while Moscow says it does so only for their safety.

The Hague-based International Criminal Court last year issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his children’s commissioner for illegally deporting Ukrainian children.

“Qatar has been working closely with its Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to make progress on unification initiatives, while also looking for ways to build trust in other areas,” Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation Lorva Khat said in a statement.

“We will continue to mediate between the parties as long as requested and hopefully this will eventually lead to a de-escalation of the conflict,” she said.

Qatari diplomats will accompany the children.

One of the 16-year-old boys, whose family died during the evacuation from Ukraine’s Lugansk region, is being reunited with an aunt who has been granted custody.

A five-year-old boy who has been living with his grandparents in Russian-controlled territory is about to be reunited with his mother.

A 14-year-old boy whose mother was a member of the armed forces and held as a prisoner of war by Russia for several months in 2022 will also be able to see her again.

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