About 1.6 million Ukrainian children remain at risk of deportation from occupied territories, Ukrainian officials say
Dmytro Lubinets said about 1.6 million Ukrainian children on temporarily occupied territories remain at risk of deportation or forced transfer to Russia. Ukrainian authorities have verified 20,651 cases of deportation or forced movement of children, but say exact totals are difficult to establish and cases on occupied territories cannot be fully verified.
Key points
- About 1.6 million Ukrainian children on temporarily occupied territories remain at risk of deportation or forced transfer to Russia
- Dmytro Lubinets reported the figure on November 10, 2026
- Ukrainian authorities verified 20,651 cases of deportation or forced movement of children
- 770 child deaths, 3,018 child injuries and 2,349 cases of missing children were verified in Ukrainian-controlled territory
- 23 cases of sexual violence against children were verified in Ukrainian-controlled territory
- Three children were returned from occupied territory in Kherson region to Ukrainian-controlled territory
Why it matters
The continued presence of about 1.6 million children on occupied territory leaves them exposed to deportation, forced transfer and other violations that cannot be fully documented or verified while Ukraine lacks access to those areas.
What happened
Dmytro Lubinets said that about 1.6 million Ukrainian children who have remained on temporarily occupied territories since 2022 continue to face the risk of deportation and forced transfer to Russia. Ukrainian authorities have verified 20,651 cases involving the deportation or forced movement of children, although the exact number is extremely difficult to establish. They also cited verified cases on Ukrainian-controlled territory of 770 children killed by the Russian military, 3,018 injured children, 2,349 children missing without trace and 23 children who suffered sexual violence. Three more children were returned from occupied territory in Kherson region to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting emphasizes the scale of the risk for approximately 1.6 million children on occupied territory and distinguishes officially verified cases of deportation and forced movement from Russian estimates and consequences that cannot be fully checked without access to the occupied territories.
Background
Russian sources reported in 2022 that more than 744,000 Ukrainian children had been taken from temporarily occupied territories to Russia. Separately, Ukrainian authorities have verified cases of children killed, injured, missing and subjected to sexual violence on Ukrainian-controlled territory. Three children were also returned from occupied territory in Kherson region.