101 Ukrainian children were rescued from Russia and the temporarily occupied territories in August 2025

In August 2025, Ukraine successfully returned 101 children who had been deported, forcibly transferred, or trapped in temporarily occupied territories. This brings the total number of returned children to 1,600. Their return was made possible through the coordinated efforts of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative and its partners: the Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, Save Ukraine, and Helping to Leave.This month, the issue of abducted Ukrainian children became central to high-level political discussions. The President of Ukraine and the President of the European Commission raised it during meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed that Ukrainian children cannot be used as bargaining chips, while First Lady Melania Trump sent a letter to Vladimir Putin urging respect for children’s rights. First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska responded with a letter of her own, calling for the return of every child.At the same time, new investigations have exposed the scale of Russia’s crimes. This summer, over 65,000 Ukrainian children were sent to so-called “re-education” and military training camps, including facilities run by Russia’s Ministry of Defense. The occupation authorities in Luhansk also published an online “adoption database” listing hundreds of Ukrainian children.Human rights organizations submitted detailed reports to the UN, documenting systematic deportation, forced adoption, and political indoctrination. The International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children — made up of over 40 countries, the EU, and the Council of Europe — once again called on Russia to return all abducted children immediately and without conditions.