"Stolen Children" Putin's war machine snatches 1.6 million Ukrainian kids

The Daily Express today highlights the devastating plight of the 1.6 million Ukrainian children stolen from their families under Russian occupation.

We are calling for urgent action as Vladimir Putin's forces continue to groom youngsters to feed the dictator's war machine.

Over the past decade many have been placed in so-called "re-education" programmes to erode their national identity or conscripted into activities that support Russia's military effort.

Campaigners say girls of 15 are being lured to holiday camps and then forced to set land mines, while boys of primary school age are beaten if they speak their native tongue.

Mykola Kuleba, founder of the charity Save Ukraine, told the Express: "Russia has taken 1.6 million child hostages.

"These children's lives have been stolen under the occupation.

"They have no rights or freedom. We rescue children who have not gone out of their yard for three years and who don't know how to count and read because they were deprived of access to education.

"The kids who have returned tell us that Russia is treating them as hostages and prisoners of war.

"In Putin's prisons, Ukrainian soldiers are forced to sing Russian songs and read nationalistic poetry every day.

"The same thing happens with Ukrainian children in occupied territories. They are subjected to this indoctrination and face punishment for speaking Ukrainian."

Mykola warned that Russia's use of child abductions risked setting a dangerous precedent. He said: "Children cannot be used as a bargaining chip.

"You cannot bargain with a child's future and doing so incentivises other rogue states with invasion plans to take child hostages."

Russia has abducted more than 35,000 children over the past 10 years, a Yale University study has confirmed.

However, since the fullscale invasion in 2022, 1.6million youngsters have been cut off from the outside world and are effectively being held hostage by Russia. Abducted children were sent to at least 56 facilities - 13 in Belarus and 43 in Russia or occupied Ukrainian territory.

Vulnerable groups including orphans, children with disabilities and those from low-income or military families were targeted.

In some cases, children were alleged to have been physically abused, denied contact with their parents and given inadequate food and medical care.

Russia has refused to provide Ukraine with a list of children and has sought to conceal the forced deportations and unlawful adoptions. The International Criminal Court has issued charges and arrest warrants against Putin and other leading Kremlin officials for the forced deportation and abduction of children from the occupied territories.

The charity Save Ukraine - founded in 2014 after Russia's annexation of Crimea - began by delivering aid and evacuating families. Since the full-scale invasion three years ago, its mission has focused on rescuing abducted children and supporting traumatised families.

To date, Save Ukraine has helped to secure the return of 793 children.

Those rescued are cared for in seven "Hope and Healing" centres, where families stay for up to three months

They receive shelter, humanitarian aid and psychological support.

Save Ukraine says official figures underestimate the true scale of the tragedy because they exclude those children trapped in occupied areas.

Since the full-scale invasion three years ago, its mission has focused on rescuing abducted children and supporting traumatised families.

To date, Save Ukraine has helped to secure the return of 793 children.

Those rescued are cared for in seven "Hope and Healing" centres, where families stay for up to three months

They receive shelter, humanitarian aid and psychological support.

Save Ukraine says official figures underestimate the true scale of the tragedy because they exclude those children trapped in occupied areas.

International diplomacy has appeared to so far focus on the territorial disputes - with humanitarian concerns being pushed to the margins.

However, there have been calls for action and to boost awareness.

In March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky launched a Bring Kids Back campaign in 2023.

And a march in support of the children of Ukraine took place in London in June, organised by a coalition of groups called the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign.

Meanwhile, at last week's Alaska summit between Putin and Donald Trump, the subject was raised in a letter to the despot from US first lady Melania Trump.

She implored him to consider the children, saying that "in protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone - you serve humanity".

Mrs Trump continued: "A simple yet profound concept Mr Putin, is that each generation's descendants begin their lives with a purity - an innocence which stands above geography, government and ideology. Yet in today's world, some children are forced to carry a quiet laughter, untouched by the darkness around them - a silent defiance against the forces that can potentially claim their future."

The White House said that "humanitarian" issues were part of the agenda last week, but no commitments were announced.

For more information: saveukraineua.org. To help Ukrainian kids rebuild their lives: https://giving. classy.org/campaign/585068/donateor email: [email protected]