Ukraine invites Brazil to help repatriate deported children

Ukraine has invited Brazil to join the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, according to the presidential office (OP). The ensuing statement came after discussions with members of the Brazilian media.  

Currently, 41 countries have joined the initiative. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has caused the deaths of 596 Ukrainian children and injuries to 1,736 more, according to the presidential office.  

The Kremlin has abducted thousands of Ukrainian children, and their return remains a top priority for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office said.

“Brazil can play an important role in restoring a lasting and just peace for Ukraine, as well as facilitating the return of Ukrainian children deported by Russia,” the OP stated.  

As a country committed to defending human rights and ensuring global stability, Brazil could act as a mediator in the effort to return the abducted children, the statement said.  

In 2024 alone, 449 children were successfully brought back to Ukrainian-controlled territories.  

Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin personally initiated a program for the abduction, deportation, forced adoption, and so-called re-education of kidnapped Ukrainian children, according to a report from the Yale University Humanitarian Research Lab.

On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.