Russian Federation has taken the lives of more than 800 Ukrainian children since 2014

During the full-scale invasion alone, Russian troops killed 551 Ukrainian children and wounded another 1,368 children. This was reported by Prosecutor-General Andriy Kostin on the air of the telethon.

But the war began not in 2022, but in 2014. Since then, Russia has taken the lives of more than 800 Ukrainian children. We do not yet know the real scale of crimes committed in the occupied territories, to which we do not have access," Andrei Kostin said.

The Prosecutor-General stressed that the investigation of crimes against children was a priority for investigators and prosecutors.

He said that more than 3,800 criminal proceedings were under way. Suspicions have been announced against 54 people. In 43 criminal proceedings, the investigation has been completed and convictions have been sent to court. Thirty-one people have already been convicted of war crimes against children.

In the deportation case, we continue our daily co-operation with the ICC Office of the Prosecutor, which opened a field office in Kyiv last year. We are constantly exchanging evidence and information. The arrest warrants issued by the ICC are only the first result," the Prosecutor General said.

Seven suspects in the illegal transfer of Ukrainian children have also been identified. Among them is a member of the Russian parliament and a person close to the head of the Just Russia party.

We are also joining the efforts of international partners, because it is one thing to punish those involved and another to bring the children home as soon as possible. The international coalition created for this purpose within the framework of President Zelensky's Formula of Peace has more than 36 countries and is working actively. There are already results: the return of groups of children, - said Andrei Kostin.

Earlier, Socialportal reported that the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin and Russian children's rights ombudsperson Maria Lvova-Belova suspected of the illegal forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia in 2023.