Ukrainian Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported receiving 3,426 complaints regarding violations of children’s rights throughout 2025. His office conducted 826 visits and 110 remote monitoring sessions to address these issues.
As part of the Ukrainian presidential initiative, Bring Kids Back UA, a total of 667 children were returned from temporarily occupied territories and Russia in 2025. By December 31, 2025, the total number of children returned under this initiative reached 1,943, with the figure increasing to 2,063 by January 2, 2026. The Ombudsman’s Secretariat facilitated the return of 410 children, including 194 in 2025 alone.
“We are doing everything possible to ensure that children have a happy and safe childhood, rather than becoming victims of circumstances,” said Lubinets.
He highlighted a specific operation involving the return of a three-year-old boy from Cairo, who had found himself abroad without his mother. Lubinets noted,
“Our Secretariat staff not only ensured the boy’s return but also traveled 3,600 kilometers to bring him back—taking 50 hours on the road.”
Upon their return, children are placed in child protection centers operating under the Barnahus model, which are located in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lutsk, Rivne, and Dnipro.
In related developments, Ukraine’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Daria Gerasimchuk, previously reported that as of the end of March 2023, the Ukrainian government was aware of over 19,500 children being taken from temporarily occupied territories to Russia. However, accurately counting these children remains challenging due to ongoing occupation.
On April 5, 2023, 49 countries issued a joint statement condemning Russia for organizing a Security Council meeting regarding the alleged legal grounds for the abduction of Ukrainian children from occupied territories. The UK blocked the broadcast of a speech by Russia’s children’s rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, on UN platforms, calling for accountability in The Hague.
The Office of the Prosecutor General indicated that there is currently no transparent algorithm or mechanism for the return of deported Ukrainian children from Russia.
On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Lvova-Belova, suspecting them of illegal deportation and relocation of Ukrainian children.
On September 23, 2025, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that 1,625 Ukrainian children had been successfully returned to Ukraine.
In 2025, the Ukrainian Ombudsman reported thousands of complaints regarding children's rights violations and facilitated the return of over 2,000 children from occupied territories. Ongoing efforts continue amid international scrutiny and legal challenges related to the abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia.