5,100 Ukrainian kids deported to Russia so far amid war: Official

A top Ukrainian official has revealed that 5,100 children have been deported to Russia since Moscow launched its ongoing war against Kiev on February 24.

In a televised address to the nation on Friday, Daria Herasymchuk, presidential adviser for child rights and rehabilitation of children, said: "Requests continue to be submitted everyday and therefore I urge everyone to report cases of child abduction to the National Information Bureau.

"This will allow us to start searching for a specific child."

According to Herasymchuk, Ukraine transfers the collected data to the Red Cross and other international organisations that help locate the children, reports Ukrayinska Pravda.

She also said that abducted children are not only orphans, sometimes they are taken away together with their parents or relatives, or forcibly separated from them.

"A total of 46 children have been returned to Ukraine, each time it is a separate special operation, there is no single algorithm and most likely there won't be," Herasymchuk said.

The presidential adviser also said that 353 children have died and 679 others injured since the beginning of the war.

"It is impossible to state the exact number of victims. The Russians do not let anyone enter the occupied territories even to bury children."

She also announced that a platform called "Children of War" will be launched on August 1 which will provide information and statistics about all the Ukrainian children affected by the the war, and the data will be collected and updated daily.

"This platform that will become the main source of information for citizens who want to help such children, for journalists and for law enforcement agencies," Herasymchuk added.

--IANS

ksk/