As part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative of the President of Ukraine, an event was held in Kyiv to remind about Russia’s brutal crimes against Ukrainian children and the need for international community support to stop them.
The event marked the second anniversary of the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and the Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.
The play “A Bird in the Attic” by the National Theatre named after Maria Zankovetska tells the story of a 13-year-old girl from occupied Mariupol, who was separated from her mother during the “filtration” process by Russian soldiers. The only way to communicate with her is by recording videos in the attic of a Russian family’s house where the child ended up.
“Two years ago, the world recognized what we knew from the very beginning: these crimes cannot be ignored. But one warrant is not enough. As long as our children remain in Russia’s hands, they continue being Russified, militarized, and forced to forget who they are,” emphasized Dariia Zarivna, Advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office and Chief Operating Officer of Bring Kids Back UA.
Daria Herasymchuk, Advisor – Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights and Child Rehabilitation, noted that the Bring Kids Back UA initiative was created by the President as a response to this Russian crime. Its goal is to locate the children, bring them home, and help reintegrate them into Ukrainian society.
The event also included a presentation of the Stolen Childhood exhibition. The exposition features works by contemporary Ukrainian artists on the forced deportation of Ukrainian children: video art by Mykhailo Alekseenko and sculptures by Yulia Belyaeva.
The event was attended by foreign diplomats, representatives of international organizations, public figures and artists.