Qatar said it had reunited four Ukrainian children who were on Russian territory after they were detained by Moscow authorities following the invasion in February 2022 with their families in Ukraine. “Qatar announces a successful operation to reunite a certain number of Ukrainian children with their families,” the Foreign Ministry in Doha said in a statement.
He said he hoped this operation would mark the “beginning” of a process that would allow more children to be returned to Ukraine. The ministry said it gathered these children and their relatives at the Qatar Embassy headquarters in Moscow last week before transporting them “to their final destination” in Ukraine.
A Qatari diplomatic source familiar with the matter said four children managed to reach Ukraine on Monday, calling the operation a “breakthrough” and “gesture of goodwill” on Russia’s part.
Kiev has accused Moscow of deporting “tens of thousands” of Ukrainian children who were “abducted” in the occupied territories of Ukraine. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for the “illegal deportation” of thousands of Ukrainian children since February 2022.