Maria Lvova-Belova shared several stories of children being reunited with their families. In 2022, Anastasia and her relatives left Ukraine, where she had been temporarily residing, and moved to Spain. Her family could not accompany her to Russia, and her mother was also unable to come for her due to visa difficulties. After the family contacted the Commissioner for Children’s Rights, the case was taken under consideration, and the girl was successfully reunited with her mother in Moscow.
Assistance was also provided to a woman and her six-year-old son in returning to Russia. In 2020, the woman had travelled with her child to Ukraine to visit relatives. Afterwards, they were unable to return on their own and sought help from the Commissioner for Children’s Rights.
The stories of children who went to live in Ukraine are varied. One boy had been living in Russia with his uncle, another with his grandmother, while their mothers remained in Ukraine. In another case, a girl stayed with her great-aunt in Russia after her mother’s death, while her father lives in Ukraine.
In addition, the Children’s Rights Commissioner assisted a young adult with disabilities in relocating to Ukraine.
The Commissioner for Children’s Rights expressed her gratitude to the State of Qatar for the assistance with organising logistics, transport, and related expenses, as well as to the International Committee of the Red Cross, relevant agencies, and law enforcement bodies.
The work to reunite children with their families in Russia, Ukraine, and other countries is being carried out on the instruction of Vladimir Putin. The first reunions took place in 2022.
To date, with the involvement of the Office of the Commissioner for Children’s Rights, 28 children from 20 families have been reunited with relatives in Russia, while 115 children from 91 families have been reunited with relatives in Ukraine and other countries.