Zelenskyy: Ukraine has already managed to return 1625 children abducted by Russia

Thanks to the BringKidsBackUA initiative, 1625 Ukrainian children abducted by Russia during the war have been returned. About reported president Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a speech at a meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, held on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 23.

"Every return is a success and a child saved, but also a challenge, because the child must be reintegrated and protected from the trauma they went through," Zelensky said.

The Head of State also said that Ukraine is launching a "tracking mechanism" to collect all data on Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

Zelensky emphasized that Russia is hiding the truth, so this work is "key." This includes funding, searching for and verifying information, and efforts to bring perpetrators to justice.

"I urge you to increase pressure in every sanctions package on those Russian politicians, officials, judges, propagandists and others involved in the abduction of children and attempts to reprogram their minds. All of this is known. The camps where abducted children are taught to hate, the institutions involved, and even the structures of the Russian state church that are used to erase the identity of Ukrainian children," the President said.

• At the talks in Istanbul in June Russia admits to abducting Ukrainian children. The head of the Russian group claimed "dozens and hundreds" of children, however, we are talking about "thousands," said Deputy Foreign Minister Kyslytsya.