Russia Returns Six More Ukrainian Children

Facts

• Russia announced Tuesday that an additional six Ukrainian children — among the thousands Kyiv alleges have been forcibly displaced and trapped in Russia or Russian-occupied territories — are en route to Ukraine via Belarus following a Qatar-mediated agreement.¹
• In October, four children were returned to Ukraine under a deal brokered by Qatar, negotiations of which began when Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani visited the warring countries over the summer.²
• While Ukraine alleges Russia has taken 20K children during the war without their family's consent, Moscow denies any wrongdoing, stating that the Kremlin has been moving vulnerable children from the frontlines for their safety.³
• The allegations led to the International Criminal Court issuing an arrest warrant for Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin and his commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, in March over Kyiv's accusations that the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children constituted a war crime.⁴
• Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson told the White House on Tuesday that there will be no additional funding for Ukraine's war effort until 'transformative change to our nation's border security laws' are enacted.⁵
• This comes after NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg this week warned that the world should 'be prepared for bad news' in the months-long conflict. Though he didn't specify the details, Stoltenberg's remarks follow dwindling financial support for Ukraine and Kyiv's faltering counteroffensive against Russia.⁶

Sources: ¹Washington Post, ²The Times, ³Reuters, ⁴NPR Online News, ⁵FOX News and ⁶Politico.

Narratives

• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. Though Ukraine may paint it differently, this entire saga has resulted from Russia first rescuing children from a war zone and subsequently returning them to Ukraine when appropriate. Furthermore, children from both sides of the border have been trapped on either side of this conflict — negotiations have focused on safely relocating Russian and Ukrainian minors to their respective home countries.
• Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by The Conversation. Putin's exploitation of children during war is a tale as old as the Soviet Union. Ukrainian children are being unlawfully detained in institutions of propaganda and neglect, after which they are returned home with their minds warped. This not only tortures the children, but their families too. These abductions are a clear case of illegal psychological warfare.

Predictions