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Estonia and partners demand immediate return of Ukrainian children deported to Russia

Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

05.08.2025 | 15:33

Today, 5 August, the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children — of which Estonia is a member — issued a statement calling on the Russian Federation to immediately and unconditionally return the children who have been deported from Ukraine during Russia's aggression.

During a bilateral meeting in Istanbul in early June, the Ukrainian government presented the Russian Federation with an initial list of 339 Ukrainian children who have been unlawfully deported to Russia or forcibly transferred from Russian-occupied territories, the statement issued by the coalition countries today says.

"We call on the Russian Federation to act promptly and meaningfully on the initial list of children presented by Ukraine, ensuring their immediate and unconditional return to their families and communities in Ukraine," the statement reads.

The coalition also urges Russia to share full and verifiable information on all Ukrainian children who have been illegally and forcibly deported, and to grant international humanitarian organisations access to these children to ensure their rights and wellbeing are safeguarded.

"As a global community, we must ensure that the protection of all children affected by Russia's war of aggression against remains at the forefront of our humanitarian action and diplomatic efforts," the statement continues. "The return of Ukrainian children is one vital step in this broader imperative, to ensure that children are never used as pawns of war."

Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated that Estonia, together with like-minded countries, will continue efforts to ensure that all Ukrainian children deported by Russia are able to return home.

"Although Ukraine presented Russia with a list of 339 children in June, we know that in reality Russia has deported thousands of children from Ukraine. Russia's goal is to deprive these children of their childhood in their own country and to erase their Ukrainian identity. To prevent this, the children must be returned home as soon as possible," Tsahkna said.

According to the foreign minister, Estonia has taken concrete steps to support the identification and return of deported children — for example, by contributing to the establishment of a human rights centre that opened earlier this year in the city of Zhytomyr.

The International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children was officially launched on 2 February 2024. It coordinates the joint efforts of Ukraine and its partners to bring back deported Ukrainian children. The coalition currently includes 41 countries.