Ukrainian children abducted by Russia during its assault on their country are sharing the stories of their captivity with Canadian parliamentarians, in hopes they will help rescue others. Children look at the scene of the latest Russian rocket attack that damaged a multi-storey apartment building in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Andriy Dubchak
OTTAWA – Ukrainian children abducted by Russia during its assault on their country are sharing the stories of their captivity with Canadian parliamentarians, in hopes they will help rescue others.
Members of Parliament were tearful as four teenagers who were forcibly taken from Ukraine to camps in Russia or Russian occupied territories shared their stories with a House of Commons subcommittee on international human rights.
The MPs also heard from two parents who were separated from their kids for months before being reunited.
The children who testified today were rescued with the help of Save Ukraine, an organization dedicated to repatriating and rehabilitating abducted Ukrainian children.
It is unclear how many children have been taken to Russia or territories it controls in Ukraine, but Save the Children says Ukrainian and Russian estimates of that number range from 2,000 to 20,000.
Save the Children advocacy manager Kateryna Lytvynenko says Canada can play a role in reuniting abducted children with their families by encouraging other countries to establish communications between Ukrainian and Russian officials.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2023.
