Thirty-one Ukrainian children were deported from the Donetsk region to Russia under the guise of "rehabilitation"

Two representatives of the Donetsk occupation administration have been notified of suspicion.

According to the investigation, in May 2022, the occupation authorities issued a decree on the "departure of children for rehabilitation" to Russia. Its implementation was assigned to the so-called head of the Donetsk administration and the head of the department for family and children's affairs.

Sixteen boys and 15 girls were gathered at the so-called "Children's Social Center" in Donetsk. From there, they were taken by bus to the Rostov region, and then by plane to the "Polyany" sanatorium in the Moscow region. The facility is part of the Children's Medical Center of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation.

Six of these children were successfully returned thanks to the joint efforts of government bodies and public organizations within the framework of the initiative of the President of Ukraine, Bring Kids Back UA. Another 25 children remain in Russia.

The suspects are charged with violating the laws and customs of war, committed by a group of persons upon prior conspiracy. They face between 8 and 12 years in prison. Sanctions have also been applied to both. The pre-trial investigation was conducted by investigators of the Main Investigation Department of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

The Prosecutor General's Office is also documenting other Russian crimes against Ukrainian children, including their militarization. According to law enforcement agencies, around 6,000 children were recruited into "Yunarmiya" in the occupied Donetsk region between 2019 and 2025. In February 2026, juvenile prosecutors notified eight members of an organized group who ensured the operation of this movement of suspicion.

The search and identification of the children were assisted by the Bring Kids Back UA team, the Partnership for a Strong Ukraine Foundation, and the project "Transitional Justice and the Mechanism on Missing Persons."

We continue to work for the return of every Ukrainian child and to hold the perpetrators accountable.