Latest News

• February 27: Zelenskyy visited Saudi Arabia to discuss the Peace Formula and the return of captured and deported persons
• February 26: According to the new investigation, in 2024, Putin’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova will receive 420,000 euros (~$455,000) from the state budget of the Russian Federation “for the removal of children from the Special Military Occupation Zone.”
• February 24: The permanent missions of Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Poland, Canada, Latvia, the Netherlands, Estonia, and the EU Mission to the UN jointly held a closed meeting to discuss the critical issue of the fate of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.
• February 24: The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, at the UN called on the international community to take joint action for the return of Ukrainian children kidnapped by the Russian Federation. The Minister called partner states to join the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children.
• February 23: The European Union approved its 13th sanction package against Russia on the eve of the 2nd anniversary of the full-scale war against Ukraine. Besides many things, this package targeted individuals from the judicial system, local politicians, and those responsible for the illegal deportation and military re-education of Ukrainian children in Russia and Belarus. Where Are Our People? advocacy campaign has been involved in facilitating the sanctioning of people deporting Ukrainian minors, specifically: Marina Peschanskaya, Ombudsman for Children’s Rights in Sevastopol; Olga Nikishina, Deputy Head of the Department for Supporting the Activities of the Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights; Inna Varlamova, who illegally adopted deported Ukrainian child.
• February 21: The Parliament of Estonia called on countries to facilitate the return of deported Ukrainian children. The text of the published statement emphasizes that the actions of the armed forces and the military-political leadership of the Russian Federation constitute genocide against the Ukrainian people.

Advocacy advances

1. On February 27th, the inaugural meeting of the Working Group convened to address the fourth tenet of the Peace Formula, focusing on the liberation of all detainees and deportees. A primary objective of our collective effort is to alleviate the plight of those held captive or forcibly removed from their homes. Each participating nation within the Working Group is empowered to devise and enact tailored strategies aimed at realizing the entirety of the fourth provision of the Peace Formula.
2. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets conducted a virtual meeting with Julie Sunday, Canada’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Together, they deliberated on innovative concepts and strategies aimed at facilitating the repatriation of Ukrainian children displaced by deportation, thereby aiding Ukraine in their retrieval and reunification efforts.
3. Vitsche Berlin organized a round table Forcible Deportation of Ukrainian Children in Rotes Rathaus. Where Are Our People? Researcher Anstasiia Saienko participated in the round table.
4. A Ukrainian delegation, including children who had been brought back from forced deportation, and their guardians, visited the UN office and the White House. The kids testified their stories at the UN Security Council’s side event ‘Stolen Voices’. It was for the time the Council members heard directly from the survivors of Russia’s forced deportation.

Materials we facilitated

• DW News about the visit of Ukrainian deported children to the US
  Ukrainian kids go to US to raise awareness of Russian abductions | DW News
• CBS News about the visit of Ukrainian deported children to the US
  https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/ukrainian-children-kidnapped-russian-soldiers-united-nations/
• An article with stories of deported Ukrainian children who managed to return to Ukraine
  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/23/ukrainian-children-who-lost-loved-ones-in-war-to-address-un-security-council
• A video material about the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and the mechanisms Russia uses for propaganda
  Знищити українську ідентичність: як Росія перевиховує наших дітей? Деколонізація • Ukraїner
• Our researcher Vladyslav Havrylov talked about the advancements of returning deported children and Russia’s continuous efforts in abducting minors
  https://globalnews.ca/news/10289501/ukraine-russia-deportations-location-mapping/

• An article about the forced deportation of Ukrainian children
  https://gulag.online/articles/deportace-ukrajincu?locale=cs
• Anastasiia Marushevska, co-founder of Where Are Our People?, talked about the ways Russia deports Ukrainian children
  https://epl.delfi.ee/artikkel/120271976/ukrainast-kuuditatud-laste-lugu-12-aastase-poisi-kavalus-ja-isaga-kokkumang-paastsid-tema-ja-ta-oed-hullemast
• Vladyslav Havrylov’s comment about the historical deportations of Ukrainians
  https://thegeopost.com/sq/lajme/historiani-ukrainas-rusia-po-u-shperlane-trurin-te-rinjve-tane-po-i-nxite-te-luftojne-kunder-vendit/?

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