17 Ukrainian children rescued from Russian-occupied territories, officials say
Rescue highlights ongoing toll of Russia’s abductions as leaders urge accountability and families seek return of remaining captives
Seventeen Ukrainian children have been rescued from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, officials said this week, part of an ongoing operation to retrieve minors believed abducted since Russia's invasion. Officials say the total number of Ukrainian children believed abducted since the war began is about 35,000, with 1,625 having been returned to Ukraine so far. Photos of some of the rescued youths were released, with identities protected.
The children were among those taken in the occupied regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson and were returned safely to Ukrainian authorities, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky and his aides. A 17-year-old boy who was abducted in the middle of the night and subjected to hours of interrogation at gunpoint was highlighted by Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, who wrote on X that the boy was pressured for his pro-Ukrainian stance. A 16-year-old girl who refused to attend a Russian school was allegedly threatened with separation from her mother, Yermak added, while a 15-year-old boy and his 13-year-old sister survived a munition strike that razed their home. In each case, officials said, the children were ultimately returned to Ukraine.
Some of the rescued youths reportedly had been under pressure to join the Russian army, as part of a broader strategy to integrate or coerce Ukrainian children into Russia’s wartime apparatus. Shocking images aired by Russian state television previously showed Ukrainian children assembled and firing assault rifles, with a Russian flag and a portrait of Vladimir Putin visible in the background. Broad context for the abductions also includes reports that some children were forced to assist with drone construction for Russian forces, according to a Yale University study released earlier this month.
The broader humanitarian and legal implications have drawn scrutiny from multiple international actors. Mykola Kuleba, founder of Save Ukraine, said the cases illustrate not merely indoctrination but the active recruitment and weaponization of children in a war machine. Ukrainian security services and humanitarian groups have released drone footage and communications intercepts showing Russian troops entering civilian homes, sometimes with orders to spare the children while killing others in the household. The files and footage have been circulated to underscore the severity of the abuses and the risks families face in occupied territories.
As the abductions continue to draw international attention, the topic was thrust into the spotlight at the United Nations this week. Zelensky, speaking on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, framed the issue as a moral indictment of the aggression. He said, “One of the lowest crimes imaginable is to replace childhood with war and its cruelty,” and added that “the first crime Putin has been charged with is his crime against children.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed the sentiment, calling the abductions a family torment behind each and every case.
In a separate thread of commentary, officials noted the Kremlin’s Children’s Rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, has publicly discussed adopting Ukrainian children from areas captured by Russian forces, including Mariupol. Human rights advocates have described such actions as part of a broader pattern of targeting and coercion, including a so-called adoption catalog in which kidnapped Ukrainian children were reportedly cataloged by age, eye color and number of siblings. Save Ukraine and other organizations say the catalog signals a managed system for exploiting children amid the conflict.
The rescued youths come from regions that have experienced heavy fighting and shifts in control as Russia consolidates its grip on territory it has seized since 2022. Officials emphasized that the children’s health and safety remain the top priority as they undergo medical and psychosocial assessments, with families and guardians seeking reunification and justice through international channels.
Images accompanying the story show the humanitarian and emotional dimensions of the crisis.
The broader geopolitical context remains deeply volatile. Ukrainian leaders have called for accountability and greater international support as Kyiv continues to press for the return of all children who were abducted and any other Ukrainian citizens held in territories seized by Russian forces. The U.N., along with Western partners, has urged Russia to comply with international law and humanitarian norms, including the safe return of minors and access to humanitarian aid for affected families. The topic is likely to remain central to diplomatic discussions as the war persists and as verification and reunification efforts continue.
Ultimately, officials stress that each rescued child represents a family restored, even as hundreds more remain unaccounted for. The situation underscores the human dimension of the conflict and the ongoing challenge of protecting vulnerable civilians in occupied or contested areas.
