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People look at the memorial wall with the names of residents who were killed at the time of Russia's occupation, on July 2, 2023 in Bucha, Ukraine. Picture: ROMAN PILIPEY/GETTY IMAGES
People look at the memorial wall with the names of residents who were killed at the time of Russia's occupation, on July 2, 2023 in Bucha, Ukraine. Picture: ROMAN PILIPEY/GETTY IMAGES

Melbourne — Russia has brought about 700,000 children from the conflict zones in Ukraine into Russian territory, Grigory Karasin, head of the international committee in the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, said late on Sunday.

“In recent years, 700,000 children have found refuge with us, fleeing the bombing and shelling from the conflict areas in Ukraine,” Karasin wrote on his Telegram messaging channel.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion on its western neighbour Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow says its programme of bring children from Ukraine into Russian territory is to protect orphans and children abandoned in the conflict zone.

However, Ukraine says many children have been illegally deported and the US says thousands of children have been forcibly removed from their homes.

Most of the movement of people and children occurred in the first few months of the war and before Ukraine started its major counteroffensive to regain occupied territories in the east and south in late August.

In July 2022, the US estimated that Russia “forcibly deported” 260,000 children, while Ukraine’s ministry of integration of occupied territories, says 19,492 Ukrainian children are now considered illegally deported.

Reuters

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