PRESS RELEASE : We still do not know how many Ukrainian children died in the occupied territories – President

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 16 May 2022.

Ukraine still does not know how many children were killed by the Russian enemy in the temporarily occupied territories and how many young Ukrainians were forcibly deported. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an online meeting with the US university community.

The Head of State noted that today almost 300 children are known to have died in the formerly occupied territories of Ukraine as a result of Russian shelling, bombing and torture.

“But (still – ed.) there are temporarily occupied territories. And we do not know how many people died there, how many victims and how many children died or are in critical condition. We will be able to understand this only after the deoccupation of certain territories,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

In addition, according to the President of Ukraine, about 500,000 people were forcibly deported from the temporarily occupied territories to Russia.

“Children and adults were separated. According to our data, children were sent to different families or to orphanages, boarding schools – where there are orphans, children without parents. That is why it is a tragedy for us. We do not know this number of children, we do not know the number of people, we do not know in what condition they are. It was a deportation by force. Documents were confiscated from them, from adults in the first place, passports were confiscated and exchanged for Russian ones,” the President said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed the need to investigate every case of forced deportation of Ukrainians.

In addition, the President thanked all states that provide education to Ukrainian children from families of IDPs.

“It is very important not to lose the educational program, even if it is in another state. Education should continue in spite of everything,” the Head of State said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also expressed hope that after the end of the war, many Ukrainian young people who left Ukraine due to hostilities will return home.

“Without science, without education, without students, there will be stagnation in the state. Even all the optimism after the victory will go nowhere, because without the strength of young people, without this energy, it is impossible to build anything,” said the President.