Ukraine awaits full response regarding each child from previously submitted list of 339 children abducted by Russia - Yermak
As a result of the negotiations in Istanbul, Russia provided information on less than a fifth of the children from the initial list of 339 names of abducted Ukrainian children, and there is no information on more than 200 children, including those from the Kherson Children's Home, said Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
"The initial list of 339 names was submitted by Ukraine in Istanbul as a confidence-building measure. The response received from the Russian side as of today is fragmentary - only partial information has been provided on less than a fifth of the children from the initial list. There has been no reaction on more than 200 children, including those from the Kherson Children's Home. The statement about the 'full working out of the list,' to put it mildly, does not correspond to reality," he wrote in a comment on the public statements of the representative of the Russian delegation regarding the abducted Ukrainian children in a telegram on Thursday.
Yermak noted that he was forced to make such comments because, after the end of the round of negotiations in Istanbul, a representative of the Russian delegation made a number of statements to the media regarding the initial list of abducted children previously submitted by Ukraine. According to Yermak, currently the Ukrainian side "is deliberately making restrained public comments, seeking to preserve space for substantive dialogue and avoid politicizing a sensitive track. At the same time, given the distorted and manipulative nature of certain statements, we consider it necessary to provide clarification."
"Separate mention was made of the allegedly already returned part of the children. In fact, we are talking about only six children, five of whom are from one family, who were returned last week. This became possible thanks to the long-term humanitarian process mediated by the State of Qatar, which lasted more than a year. This case demonstrates, first of all, the results of Qatar's mediation," Yermak emphasized.
As for the persons whom the Russian side declared as having reached the age of majority, this refers, in particular, to the pupils of the Oleshkiv boarding school with disabilities, among whom were both children and persons who had reached the age of majority.
"Their forced displacement is a serious violation of international humanitarian law. Reaching the age of 18 does not cancel the fact of committing a war crime and does not deprive these persons of the right to return home," the head of the President's Office emphasized.
"It was also publicly stated that some of the children from the initial list are allegedly in Europe. At the same time, all that the Russian side has informed Ukraine, citing its own law enforcement agencies, is that two children allegedly left the territory of the Russian Federation. Neither the country of border crossing nor other details are indicated. If two Ukrainian children really left the territory of the Russian Federation, Ukraine expects full information from Russia about the circumstances of their departure," he added.
"Ukraine remains open to further interaction in this humanitarian track and awaits a full and meaningful response regarding each child from the previously submitted initial list of abducted children," Yermak said.