A discussion took place at KSE on childhood, war, occupation, and deportation.

On May 29, Gen.Ukrainian, in partnership with the Ukrainian Child Rights Network and Bring Kids Back UA, presented the film Stolen Childhood. The film, about children who have experienced occupation, loss of family members, violence, and deportation, is now available on Megogo.

After the screening, the partners held a public discussion on childhood under conditions of deportation and occupation. The conversation was moderated by Tymofiy Milovanov, President of the Kyiv School of Economics.

“It is important not to narrow the focus solely to deported children,” emphasized Anastasiya Stepula, Advocacy Advisor at the Ukrainian Child Rights Network. According to her, over 1.6 million Ukrainian children still remain under occupation—without adequate protection and support:

“We are grateful that the world keeps the crimes of deportation in focus. But the true scale of the tragedy is far greater. Children in the occupied territories are subjected daily to indoctrination, Russification, and militarization. Their return is the most dangerous and complex process. It involves not only FSB interrogations but also screenings and searches at every checkpoint. If we do not shift focus and resources to this large group of children, the consequences could be fatal.”

International cooperation remains key in the efforts to return children and document war crimes.

“We have already engaged 41 countries as mediators in the process of returning children and continue to work on this issue at the international level. Qatar is currently the country returning the most Ukrainian children. In addition, we are actively collecting national evidence of Russia’s crimes for subsequent submission to the International Criminal Court,” said Daria Zarivna, Chief Operating Officer of Bring Kids Back UA.

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Another important stage—providing psychological support to children after their return—was discussed by Oksana Lebedeva, founder of Gen.Ukrainian:

“Our goal is to thoroughly study the entire traumatic experience of Ukrainian children in this war and develop the most effective programs to help them overcome it. Our mission is to surround these children with care and support, heal them, and help them live happily after what they have endured.”

Thanks to the joint efforts of the government, international partners, and civil society organizations, 1,345 children have been returned.

This is a small number considering the scale of the problem, but a support mechanism has already been established: each child receives basic assistance, individual case management, and access to social, educational, and medical services. This system has been developed over the past two years.

“Now we have a clear procedure: after a child’s return, they undergo an assessment at the Child Protection Center, are assigned a case manager, and their needs are identified. First comes basic assistance, followed by long-term support and services. We are already involving local communities, as support must be provided where the child lives. Our goal is for every child to know: they are welcomed here and will be supported,” said Iryna Tulyakova, Coordination Center for the Development of Family-Based Care and Child Welfare.

A separate challenge is posed by teenagers who left abroad after the start of the full-scale war and have not returned.

“In 2022, we witnessed another form of loss—‘voluntary deportation.’ Around 1.2 million teenagers went abroad, and only 10% have returned. We are losing not only children in Russia or under occupation but also young people who do not plan to come back. We need programs that will encourage them to return, study, and work here,” said Oleksandr Yehorov, Project Manager of ‘Iron Shift’ at Ukrzaliznytsia.

Return is a complex, multi-layered process. It does not end at the border—in fact, that is when the most important work begins: reintegration, rebuilding connections, and overcoming the effects of trauma. This journey is impossible without coordinated cooperation among the state, local communities, international partners, and everyone supporting the child.