Russian Embassy response to the Channel 4 media query on the situation of children evacuated from new Russian regions and Ukraine

1. Russian President Vladimir Putin has made his position on family reunification clear: «We have never been against children being reunited with their families, if, of course, their relatives are declared. There have never been any obstacles to this, there are none and, of course, there never will be».

From the very beginning of the Special Military Operation (SMO), the Russian Federation made it its priority to rescue and support the children of Donbass.

In the very first months Russia provided emergency assistance to children in the «here and now» mode. At present, together with the authorities we are working to create a full-fledged child protection system in the new regions of the country, including the implementation of our strategic programmes.

According to a consistent algorithm we are continuing to work on reuniting children with their relatives in Ukraine and Russia, and we are painstakingly working on all appeals, rejoicing at every meeting.

The main Russian state authority in charge of this area is the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights. 

The Commissioner’s goals in the framework of the SMO:

- ensuring the safety of children who find themselves in war zones;

- realization of children’s rights to education, medical care, social security, family environment, etc;

- reuniting children with parents and other loved ones who were separated for various reasons during the period of SMO;

- provision of humanitarian aid;

- organizing psychological support for children affected by military actions;

- assisting executive authorities of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), Zaporozhye and Kherson regions in building child protection systems;

- interaction with international organizations on child protection issues during the SMO.

Principles of the Commissioner’s work within the framework of the SMO:

- the interests of children and families are the top priority;

- promptness: assistance to children in a war situation must be provided quickly;

- family environment - a key condition for the harmonious development of a child;

- transparency: all of the Commissioner ‘s work is covered in the mass media and social media.

The Russian Federation has already published two Bulletins on its activities to protect children’s rights during SMO. 

These documents are available in Russian and English - https://deti.gov.ru/Deyatelnost/documents. 

2. In autumn 2022, the Russian military located 13 children from a correctional boarding school in Kupyansk (Kharkov region of Ukraine) sheltering in basements and removed them from the area under constant Ukrainian shelling. The children were hiding without teachers or tutors, only three of them had documents in their possession. Information about the other children was obtained from them.

The administration of the boarding school to which they were assigned, as well as LPR Ministry of Internal Affairs officers began a search for their parents and other legal representatives. The Office of the Commissioner, as well as the commissioner for children’s rights in the LPR, Ms. Inna Shvenk, became involved.

Some relatives were found quickly: in November one child was handed over to his mother, in December a boy and a girl were handed over to a guardian-grandmother, in January four siblings were handed over to their father, and in March another boy was handed over to his mother.

In May 2023, there was a reunion of a mother from Ukraine and her son, who was taken from the Kupyansk boarding school. After the volunteers’ appeal, the Commissioner’s Office helped with logistics, bought air and railway tickets, and provided a hotel. At various stages the family was also accompanied by the commissioners for children’s rights in Rostov region and LPR, and staff of the International Committee of Red Cross.

In addition, the children were informed of the Ukrainian side’s interest in their return. Many children expressed their reluctance to return to Donetsk, because the city was not safe. Some reported that they were ready to return after the end of hostilities. Those who wanted to return were assisted in doing so.

To date, seven of the 27 children have reached adulthood and have decided to continue to live in Russia.

In June 2023, a brother and his sister were picked up by their mother. The last children from this group - also a brother and sister - were reunited with their mother in early September this year. 

As of today, all children from the correctional boarding school in Kupyansk are with their families.

Just like in the UK and other countries, the curriculum of any school, including boarding schools, is implemented in line with national legislation and with due regard for national symbols, including the country’s flag and anthem. It is hardly surprising that children enrolled in state schools, including from other parts of Russia as well as third countries, would also be invited to participate in activities aimed at educating respect for and knowledge of these national symbols.

3. In late summer and fall of 2022 parents from the Kherson, Zaporozhye, Kharkov regions and other territories voluntarily sent their children on vacation, also with a view to protecting them from ongoing military action. Children together with their attendants, by proxy of their parents, were admitted to sanatoriums and health camps in the Crimea and Krasnodar regions.

The situation on the front line did not always allow the children and their accompanying staff to travel safely home at the end of their shifts. Reunification was also difficult because not all parents could come to pick up their children on their own. Conscript-age fathers were not allowed across the state border by the Ukrainian authorities, some mothers had other children in their care, for some - the state of their health prevented the parents from going. Not everyone was able to find a trusted person to pick up their children as well as the necessary funds for the trip. 

Therefore, unsurprisingly, it took time for all children to return. 

Additional measures were provided for each child who had to stay longer than others. Families living in both Russia, Ukraine and EU member states were assisted by volunteers from both Russia and Ukraine. The latter (Ukrainians) were at times apprehensive about addressing the Russian authorities and the Commissioner’s Office directly. It should be underscored that the Office of Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova is open for any interaction. Inter alia, owing to the Commissioner’s efforts, to date all children of Ukrainian citizens who had been on vacations in the Krasnodar region and were delayed in returning have been reunited with their families.

Some specific numbers. In the Republic of Crimea, of the 2,360 children who had been sent by their parents for recreation, 38 children remained as of April 3, 2023, 6 as of April 19 and 3 as of May 29. The decision that it was better for the children to stay on the peninsula for the time being was made by their parents. As a result, 2 children were collected by their parents in September, and only one child remained in Crimea as of October 1, 2023 - by decision of his family. This is a 17-year-old teenager, and he is studying at a Russian university.

The number of children on vacation in the Republic of Crimea, by decision of parents who are citizens of Ukraine

More numbers and concrete cases are available in openly published Bulletins - https://deti.gov.ru/Deyatelnost/documents. 

In April-October 2022, 380 orphans and children left without parental care from the DPR and LPR were placed in Russian foster families from 19 regions of the country.

Most of the children have been in republican orphanages for a long time. Basically, these children are siblings, that is, they make up family groups of 3-9 people, some of the children are with special health conditions. The placement of such children is traditionally difficult. In addition, due to the current situation in the DPR and LPR, it is quite difficult to find families willing to accept children.

It is important to understand that the territories of the DPR and LPR have been shelled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces for many years, and most orphaned children from social institutions in the republic are aware of this. Children, by their own accounts, overwhelmingly have a positive perception of Russia and expect protection and help from Russia, so being placed in safe territory with Russian foster families can hardly be a traumatic circumstance for them.

Assistance in placing children in foster care was temporary and urgent: it was necessary to remove children promptly from Ukrainian shelling and give them a familiar environment. 

All children who were placed under foster care acquired Russian citizenship, while retaining the citizenship of the LPR, DPR, or Ukraine. 

It is important to distinguish between different forms of family placement of children without parental care that exist in Russia.

Under Russian law, foster care (guardianship and custody) allows to place promptly a child without parental care into a family, by decision of the guardianship and custody agency. Adoption, on the other hand, leads to the establishment of a relationship between the adoptive parent and the adopted child, similar to the relationship between the parents and the children born to them, and is carried out by court order.

Foster care has been identified as the preferred form of placement given the potential reunification of minors with their blood relatives, if any are discovered, and in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognizes that the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding. In April-October 2022 adoption was not used as a form of family placement with respect to children from the DPR and LPR.

4. This information is misleading. In the vast majority of situations, children remain with their parents or relatives. Difficulties may be caused by lack of specific documents, absence of travel funds or family disputes. 

The Office of the Commissioner maintains a database of all wanted children. 

A working channel for contacts with the Ukrainian side has been set up, which makes it possible to deal with each request individually. Necessary documents and information are exchanged via this channel, and the process of family reunification is coordinated. Children can be both in Russia and in Ukraine; in some situations children are located in third countries, such as the EU.

Specific examples of family reunification are listed in the mentioned Bulletins.