Several Ukrainian parliamentarians traveled to Rome to ask the Holy See for help. According to their data, the Russian army has deported 770,000 Ukrainian children to Russia under the pretext of protecting them from the war. The group are asking for their return.
YEVHEN PETRUNYAK
We have witnessed the great impact of the Holy See's help in prisoner exchanges, so we want to ask the Pope also to help us in returning our children.
ROSTYSLAV TISTYK
These children are in Russia. They are kept in different recreation camps, in hospitals, in various centers. They do everything possible to get these children adopted by Russian families.
The Ukrainian representatives claim these children have been forcibly removed from their families and that the Russian government is making them deny their Ukrainian customs. For example, they are being made to sing the Russian national anthem.
ROSTYSLAV TISTYK
These children are Ukrainians. We have evidence of this. We also have proof that they are now on Russian territory suffering psychological abuse and are being brainwashed with Russian propaganda. So we are working to free them.
The parliamentarians demand that the children be returned to Ukraine and point out that, with these deportations, Russia is stealing their country's future.
RM
TR: KG
