Latest News

• November 6: The Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea sent two indictments to the court against occupation judges from Crimea, who are involved in the deportation of residents of the peninsula. Their actions are qualified as a war crime, that is, a violation of the laws and customs of war (Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The accused face up to 12 years in prison.
• November 3: Under a new directive, the Russian government has stipulated that citizens of Ukraine can enter Russian territory from third countries via only two checkpoints. The hostile nation is once more attempting to persist in its efforts to abduct Ukrainian children and unlawfully relocate them to the Russian Federation.
• November 2: A demonstration took place near the Russian embassy in Berlin in support of deported Ukrainian children. Lasting for 9 hours, the demonstration attracted a significant number of attendees, including notable German politicians such as Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the Chairperson of the Defense Committee, and Roderich Kiesewetter, both members of the Bundestag.
• October 30: Canada has initiated the establishment of a large international coalition for the return of deported Ukrainian children back to Ukraine.
• October 26: Georgia let a group of seven Ukrainian men into its territory: all of them are former prisoners who were deported to Russia by the occupiers during the retreat from Kherson.
• October 22: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, expressed his gratitude to the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, for the assistance provided by Doha in facilitating the repatriation of Ukrainian children who were deported.
• October 21: 3 forcibly deported Ukrainian children were repatriated to Ukraine. This was done as part of the implementation of the Bring Kids Back UA action plan

Advocacy advances

1. Where Are Our People? team released a report about the historical and socio-anthropological aspects of the mass deportation of Ukrainians conducted by Russia “Deportations as Mass Repressions against Humanity from History to the Present. Historical and Socio-Anthropological Aspects”.
2. Where Are Our People? team held a roundtable “Temporary accommodation centers” for deported Ukrainians in Russia and Belarus — places of stay or new camps?” The roundtable speakers discussed the legal aspect of such forcible deportation. The Ukrainian government, civil organizations, and international initiatives are involved in creating a legal mechanism for the return of forcibly deported Ukrainians. Until such a mechanism is in place, we can only talk about individual cases.
3. Ombudsman Lubinets conducted a virtual meeting with Gadi Al-Gajri, the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Ukraine. Firstly, he expressed gratitude for their assistance in repatriating four Ukrainian children from Russia, who have since been reunited with their relatives in Ukraine. Additionally, they deliberated on the potential role of the State of Qatar in facilitating the return of civilian hostages, prisoners of war, and children from unlawful deportation.

Materials we facilitated

• An article by Vladyslav Havrylov, researcher of Where Are Our People?, about the role of Russian Orthodox Church in deporting Ukrainian

https://globalchildren.georgetown.edu/responses/the-role-of-the-russian-orthodox-church-in-the-forcible-deportation-of-ukrainian-children

• An article by Anastasiia Marushevska, co-founder of Where Are Our People?, about the basic questions concerning deportation
  https://news.yahoo.com/understanding-deportations-ukrainians-russia-125654989.html?guccounter=1
• An article about the mechanisms of re-educating forcibly deported Ukrainian children
  https://kyivindependent.com/expert-russia-sent-over-8-300-ukrainian-children-to-re-education-camps-in-2023/
• A video explainer about the militarization of forcibly deported Ukrainian children in Russia made in partnership with VITSCHE

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzMQEKEtdZ1/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D

• An article about the process of deportation of Ukrainian minors

https://cs.detector.media/community/texts/185715/2023-11-02-deportatsiya-ditey-yak-derzhava-povertaie-malenkykh-ukraintsiv-dodomu/

• A post-release of the roundtable “Temporary accommodation centers” for deported Ukrainians in Russia and Belarus — places of stay or new camps?, organized by Where Are Our People? team
  https://war.obozrevatel.com/ukr/peremoga-u-vijni-dopomozhe-kievu-povernuti-deportovanih-v-rosiyu-ukraintsiv-eksperti.htm
• An article about the obstacles to creating an international mechanism for repatriating deported Ukrainians from Russia
  https://informator.ua/uk/yak-i-koli-mozhna-povernuti-vsih-deportovanih-ukrajinskih-ditey-z-rosiji-vidpovid-vid-ofisu-dityachogo-ombudsmena

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