By KYIV. Nov 21 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin has said it is necessary to develop an effective international mechanism to return deported Ukrainian children from Russia as soon as possible and prevent such crimes in the future.
The Prosecutor General said this at an international conference “United for Justice: War Crimes against Ukrainian Children” in Toronto, Canada, according to the press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine (PGO).
“Every child we manage to return is a victory. These victories are a result of the heroic efforts applied by the Ukrainian government, international partners, and civil society. But still there are dozens of thousands of children in enemy hands,” Kostin said.
He recalled that Ukraine documented more than 19,500 cases of deportation of children over more than 20 months of the full-scale war, and 387 of them have return home.
“We urgently need an effective international mechanism, a powerful enough one, to stop this criminal policy of kidnapping Ukrainian children and ensure their return. And we can do this. But only if we stand united,” Kostin said.
