Nine children to be returned to their families in Russia and Ukraine in the latest humanitarian exchange.Nine Russian and Ukrainian children will be returned to their families this week in the latest humanitarian exchange between Kyiv and Moscow mediated by Qatar.
Russian Commissioner for Children, Maria Lvova-Belova, told reporters on Thursday that seven children, aged six to 16, will be sent from Russia to live with close relatives in Ukraine.
Lvova-Belova said the children had been living in Russia under varying circumstances. Most were living with a grandparent, she said, although one 16-year-old boy was living in a Russian orphanage.
Two boys, aged seven and nine, will also be returned to Russia after living in Ukraine for several years with a parent, she said.
Qatar said in a statement that its role as a mediator in the return of the children was “an extension of its approach to mediation and conflict resolution through peaceful means, in accordance with the principles of international law”.
Earlier this year, Qatar also helped to negotiate the return of 22 additional children to their families in Ukraine.
قطر تعلن عن نجاح وساطتها في لم شمل دفعة جديدة من الأطفال مع عائلاتهم في روسيا وأوكرانيا#الخارجية_القطرية pic.twitter.com/wqfZFBumwp
— الخارجية القطرية (@MofaQatar_AR) November 28, 2024
Translation: Qatar announces the success of its mediation in reuniting a new batch of children with their families in Russia and Ukraine.
The latest exchange of children follows claims by Ukraine that more than 20,000 children have been t …