The United Nations condemned Russia’s proposal to exchange abducted Ukrainian children for Russian prisoners of war, with a senior UN official stating that civilians should not be used as bargaining chips.

“Obviously, all innocent civilians, including innocent children, should not be used as bargaining chips,” Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq told Ukrinform when commenting on the Russian proposal revealed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Haq emphasized that this principle applies to conflicts worldwide. The UN has repeatedly stressed that deportation of children during conflict constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law.

President Zelenskyy disclosed that Russians had proposed exchanging Ukrainian children for their military prisoners. The Ukrainian leader characterized the occupiers’ proposal as “beyond understanding and beyond the bounds of international law.”

The issue gained prominence during negotiations in Istanbul, where the Russian delegation acknowledged that Russia had abducted Ukrainian children, according to Zelenskyy’s 2 June statement.

First Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Kislytsia provided details of the negotiations on 5 June, reporting that Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky cynically stated during talks that Russia “has a couple of dozen, maybe a hundred Ukrainian children.” The same Putin associate confirmed receiving from Ukraine a list of 339 abducted children, Kislytsia said.

Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets reports that as of October 2024, Russian forces have abducted more than 20,000 children from Ukraine. An additional 1.5 million children could potentially be deported, according to his data.

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Russia has transferred 50 children from the occupied Antratsyt district of Luhansk Oblast to a so-called rehabilitation camp in Kalmykia, Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) reported on June 14.

Kalmykia is about 1,170 km (726 miles) by air from Moscow, and its western border lies roughly 300 km (186 miles) from the nearest point on the Russia–Ukraine border.

According to the center, while the "Lesnaya Skazka" ("Forest Fairy Tale") camp is officially described as hosting sports and creative activities, in fact, it functions as a site of "round-the-clock ideological brainwashing, systemic Russification, and an attempt to erase Ukrainian identity."

Since February 2022, at least 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted from Russian-occupied territories and sent to other Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine or to Russia itself, according to a Ukrainian national database, "Children of War." Only 1,359 children have been returned thus far.

The center compared the camp in Kalmykia to "Krasnaya Gvozdika," ("Red Carnation") a facility in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, saying both are used not for recreation, but as tools of Russia’s war strategy.

“These camps have become instruments of assimilation where Ukrainian children are taught distorted history, exposed to Russian propaganda, and conditioned to show loyalty to the Putin regime,” the center said. “War and hostility are normalized, with children being groomed as human resources for future conflicts.”

The watchdog emphasized that separating children from their families, culture, and language places them under the full control of the occupying power — a practice it says constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law and forms part of Russia’s broader genocidal policy toward Ukraine.

In response to Russia’s efforts to indoctrinate Ukrainian children, President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 10 imposed sanctions on 48 individuals and nine organizations associated with the deportation of Ukrainian children, according to a decision of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC).

Growing up under missiles — Ukrainian childhoods shaped by war (Photos)

Ukrainian children are growing up in a world entirely reshaped by Russia’s war. Sirens, blackouts, and bomb shelters are nothing extraordinary — but a part of everyday childhood. This photo story follows five families as they raise their children in the shadow of the ongoing invasion. It’s not about

The Kyiv IndependentElena Kalinichenko

Everything was burning, death was all around — but Kharkiv remains unbroken. After a nighttime kamikaze drone attack on Kharkiv, rescuers heard an injured man singing the Ukrainian national anthem beneath the rubble of a destroyed building, says Oleksii Biloshytskyi, First Deputy Head of the Patrol Police Department.

During the night of 11 June, Russian attack drones struck residential neighborhoods in Kharkiv. Direct hits were recorded on apartment buildings and a civilian enterprise. Three people were killed, and more than 60 were injured, including children.

A 65-year-old man, a 47-year-old woman, and another 65-year-old man who died in the hospital in the morning were among the victims of the strike. At least 60 people were wounded, among them nine children, UkrInform reports. 

Oleksii Biloshytskyi described an extraordinary moment during the rescue operation. 

“We pulled people from the rubble, extinguished fires burning right on people’s bodies. In that darkness, amid the dust, smoke, and pain, a man under the debris was singing the Ukrainian National Anthem. That’s something you don’t forget. That’s something you cannot forgive,” he said. 

Earlier, on 7 June, Russia launched a mix of drones, guided bombs, and at least one missile on Kharkiv, killing six civilians.

One of the Shahed drones struck civilian infrastructure, causing severe destruction. Among the damaged objects was an Audi A7 that ended up at the epicenter of the explosion, writes Blik. Yet, contrary to expectations, the car not only “survived” but also started and drove away, astonishing everyone who witnessed the moment. Footage of the car instantly went viral on social media.

Ukraine successfully brought back five children who had been forcibly taken to Russia as well as Russian-occupied territory, Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak announced on June 12.

The children have been returned home under the President of Ukraine’s initiative, Bring Kids Back UA, according to Yermak.

"We are fulfilling the President's mission — to bring back every Ukrainian child," Yermak said in an statement.

Since February 2022, at least 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted from Russian-occupied territories and sent to other Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine or to Russia itself, according to a Ukrainian national database, "Children of War." Only 1,359 children have been returned thus far.

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights, estimated that Russia has unlawfully deported up to 150,000 Ukrainian children, while the Children’s Ombudswoman, Daria Herasymchuk, puts the figure at 200,000–300,000.

In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children's Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, citing their involvement in the unlawful transfer of Ukrainian children. Russia dismissed the ICC's decision as "outrageous and unacceptable."

Under orders from Putin, children were transported via military aircraft in 2022, reclassified in Russian databases as native-born, and subjected to pro-Russian re-education before being adopted into Russian families. Ukrainian children had been transported to at least 21 regions throughout Russia.

Child abductions have played a key part of U.S.-Russia peace negotiations — all of which Russia has thus far rejected. Ukrainian officials have named their return as a key condition for any future peace agreement with Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 3 that during the Istanbul negotiations, Russian representatives dismissed the issue of abducted Ukrainian children as a "show for childless European old ladies" and acknowledged deporting several hundred children.

CNN reported on June 11 that the Yale University-based Humanitarian Research Lab, which spearheads the Ukraine Conflict Observatory is preparing to shut down after its funding was terminated by the Trump administration.

A Yale study published on Dec. 3 detailed Russia's systematic program of deporting and forcibly assimilating Ukrainian children.

With only 2 weeks of funding left, US group tracking Russian abduction of Ukrainian children prepares to shut down

“Right now, we are running on fumes,” Nathaniel Raymond, the lab’s executive director, told CNN. “As of July 1, we lay off all of our staff across Ukraine and other teams, and our work tracking the kids officially ends.”

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir

The Ukraine Conflict Observatory, a Yale University-led initiative that has documented Russian war crimes including the deportation of Ukrainian children, is preparing to close within weeks after the Trump administration terminated its funding.

Nathaniel Raymond, Executive Director of the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health, told CNN the program is “running on fumes” with approximately two weeks of funding remaining from individual donations.

“As of July 1, we lay off all of our staff across Ukraine and other teams and our work tracking the kids officially ends. We are waiting for our Dunkirk moment, for someone to come rescue us so that we can go attempt to help rescue the kids,” Raymond said.

The observatory was launched in May 2022 with State Department backing to “capture, analyze, and make widely available evidence of Russia-perpetrated war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine,” according to sources familiar with the program.

Over three years, it has compiled a database containing information on more than 30,000 Ukrainian children allegedly abducted by Russia across 100 locations.

The initiative’s work contributed to six International Criminal Court indictments against Russia, including two cases related to child abductions, Raymond stated. The program’s closure will create what sources describe as a significant intelligence gap, as no other organization has tracked Ukrainian child abductions with comparable scope and detail.

Funding was initially cut as part of Department of Government Efficiency reductions, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio temporarily reinstated support to facilitate data transfer to Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency. The transfer of evidence documenting alleged war crimes – including attacks on energy infrastructure, filtration sites, and civilian targets – is expected to occur within days.

Meanwhile, congressional representatives have mounted efforts to restore permanent funding through bipartisan letters to Rubio. A group led by Democratic Representative Lloyd Doggett wrote that “research must continue unabated to maintain the rigorous process of identifying every Ukrainian child abducted by Russia.” The lawmakers stated the observatory “has verified that at least 19,500 children have been forcibly deported from occupied areas of Ukraine, funneled into reeducation camps or adopted by Russian families, and their identities erased.”

The congressional letter emphasized that “the Conflict Observatory’s work cannot be replaced by Europol or other organizations, none of whom have access to specific resources that have made the Observatory’s work so successful.”

A separate congressional correspondence from Democratic Representative Greg Landsman and colleagues questioned whether $8 million in previously allocated funding could still be disbursed to the program. The letter warned that “withholding these funds could appear to be a betrayal of the thousands of innocent children from Ukraine.”

The lawmakers noted that the actual number of affected children likely exceeds documented cases, citing a Russian official’s July 2023 statement that Russia had relocated 700,000 children from Ukrainian conflict zones. Additional children remain unidentified due to the Kremlin changing their names, place of birth, and date of birth.

During Istanbul talks on 2 June, Ukraine’s Presidential Office head Andrii Yermak said the Ukrainian team provided Russia with a list of deported children requiring repatriation. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated the list contained nearly 400 names. Russian representatives disputed claims of having taken 20,000 children, maintaining the number involved only “hundreds.”

The leading U.S.-backed initiative documenting Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children is preparing to shut down after its funding was terminated by the Trump administration, CNN reported on June 11.

The Yale University-based Humanitarian Research Lab, which spearheads the Ukraine Conflict Observatory, has reportedly transferred its data to the U.S. State Department and Ukraine’s government as it closes operations in the coming weeks.

"Right now, we are running on fumes," Nathaniel Raymond, the lab's executive director, told CNN. "As of July 1, we lay off all of our staff across Ukraine and other teams, and our work tracking the kids officially ends."

Since its launch in May 2022, the observatory has compiled evidence of Russian war crimes, including the deportation of Ukrainian children, many of whom were sent to reeducation camps or adopted by Russian families. The project relied on biometric and satellite data and has supported six International Criminal Court (ICC) indictments, including two related to child abductions, according to Raymond.

The database of the observatory contains records on more than 30,000 Ukrainian children allegedly abducted by Russia from over 100 locations, according to an undisclosed source cited by CNN. This figure outstrips estimates by Ukraine's Children of War database, which says that over 19,500 children have been deported or forcibly displaced by Russia.

The program's end leaves what experts call a major gap in accountability efforts.

"The Conflict Observatory’s work cannot be replaced by Europol or other organizations," a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers reportedly wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on June 11, urging the administration to restore funding.

While Rubio temporarily reinstated funding earlier this year to allow the lab to complete data transfers, he confirmed at a March 28 press conference that the program was ultimately defunded as part of government efficiency cuts. The transferred material, including documentation of attacks on civilian infrastructure and filtration sites, is now expected to be shared with Europol within days.

According to Ukraine's Children of War database, only around 1,300 of the abducted children have been brought home so far. Many others remain unidentified due to deliberate efforts by Russian authorities to obscure their identities by altering names and birth records.

Ukrainian leaders have repeatedly emphasized that repatriating abducted children is a non-negotiable condition for any future peace deal with Moscow.

In 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and children’s rights ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova over their roles in the deportation of Ukrainian minors.

As Russia trains abducted children for war, Ukraine fights uphill battle to bring them home

Around the world, abducting a child is a serious crime punishable by years behind bars. But when the kidnapper is Russia, justice remains a distant hope. So does the child’s return home. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has identified over 19,500 children who have been

The Kyiv IndependentDaria Shulzhenko

President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 10 imposed sanctions on 48 individuals and nine organizations associated with the deportation of Ukrainian children, according to a decision of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC).

Ukraine has documented over 19,500 cases of children who were forcibly taken to Russia, Belarus, or occupied territories since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

According to official figures, only about 1,300 of them have been brought back to areas under Ukrainian control.

The sanctions list includes Sergey Havrilchuk, director of the "Regional Center for Preparation for Military Service and Military-Patriotic Education" in the Russian-occupied Crimea, as well as the head of the regional headquarters of Yunarmiya ("Youth Army"), the state-sponsored youth organization that combines ideological indoctrination with military training for children and teenagers.

Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) said Havrilchuk was involved in organizing the abduction and illegal deportation of Ukrainian children from the Russian-occupied territories under the guise of "rehabilitation, recreation, and education," and promotes the ideological re-education and militarization of children in Crimea.

Ukraine has also imposed sanctions against Irina Ageeva, the children's ombudsman in Russia's Kaluga Oblast. Ageeva supports and implements the policy of deportation of Ukrainian children, particularly by disseminating information about children taken to Russia, granting them Russian citizenship, and placement in families on the Russian social network Vkontakte, according to HUR.

The list also featured nine Russian organizations, including the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution "Artek International Children's Center." Before the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, "Artek" was a Ukrainian children's camp, but after the occupation of the peninsula, Russia took control of it.

The camp is now involved in the mass abduction, illegal deportation, and forced displacement of Ukrainian children, organizing "rehabilitation, recreation, and education" and spreading information about the "peacekeeping and humanitarian" goals of Russia, according to HUR.

Previously, Zelensky announced on May 25 that three new sanction packages had came into effect, targeting propagandists, criminal networks, and Russian financiers.

Growing up under missiles — Ukrainian childhoods shaped by war (Photos)

Ukrainian children are growing up in a world entirely reshaped by Russia’s war. Sirens, blackouts, and bomb shelters are nothing extraordinary — but a part of everyday childhood. This photo story follows five families as they raise their children in the shadow of the ongoing invasion. It’s not about

The Kyiv IndependentElena Kalinichenko

Ukraine has received no response from Russia to its peace proposals handed over ahead of the second round of talks in Istanbul, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said on 9 June during a joint press conference in Kyiv with Lithuanian counterpart Kęstutis Budrys, Suspilne reports.

Sybiha stated that Moscow has yet to reply to the “constructive proposals” Ukraine presented and accused the Kremlin of blocking the peace process.

“Instead, they (the Russian delegation, – Ed.) threw a list of ultimatums on the table in Istanbul, which are unacceptable to diplomats,” Sybiha said.

He emphasized the need to increase pressure on Russia and all entities aiding its war against Ukraine, pointing to the Kremlin’s actions as further proof of its unwillingness to pursue a peaceful resolution.

US repeats Ukraine-Russia talks mantra despite Russia’s rejection of ceasefires

Details of the Ukrainian memorandum

Suspilne previously obtained the full text of Ukraine’s memorandum presented during the Istanbul talks on 2 June. The document includes proposals for a ceasefire, monitoring of the truce, and a presidential meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin.

It also calls for Russia’s unconditional return of all deported and displaced Ukrainian children, a full prisoner exchange, and the release of all civilian detainees. These measures are meant to cover all individuals affected since February 2014.

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov had disclosed on 28 May that the Ukrainian delegation had handed this memorandum to the head of the Russian negotiating team, Vladimir Medinsky.

Trump stalls Senate bipartisan sanctions bill

Russia’s conditions and response

During the 2 June session, Russia provided its own memorandum, which it claims includes steps for ending the war. According to this document, Russia demands a full withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, and recognition of these territories as Russian. The memorandum also requires Ukraine to adopt a neutral status, stop receiving weapons, and cease intelligence cooperation.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Russia’s memorandum as an “ultimatum.”

“Imagine you’re wearing a backpack. Not for a day, not for a week — for three years. You sleep with it, play with it, go to school with it. That backpack is fear.”

This is how Oksana Pisareva, a psychologist at the Voices of Children foundation, describes the emotional burden Ukrainian children have carried since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.

“It’s a backpack you can’t take off,” she continues. “You fall in love, go to sports practice, celebrate your birthday — and that weight is still there. The fear, the anxiety, the sense that you are not safe.”

Three years into the war, millions of Ukrainian children are growing up in its shadow. Some have lost family. Some have been displaced. Many live under constant threat. But nearly all carry invisible wounds — and psychologists like Pisareva are working to help them heal.

Stories that leave scars

Pisareva has worked with many children whose trauma defies belief. One story haunts her: a teenage boy killed in a missile strike in Kyiv, along with his entire family.

“His classmates waited for hours near the ruins, refusing to leave,” she recalls. “They were crying, hoping. One child died — but 25 more experienced that grief.”

The strike took place on the night of 24 April 2025 — one of the deadliest Russia has launched on Kyiv since the full-scale invasion began. Twelve people were killed, and nearly 90 were injured. Even US President Donald Trump, horrified by the attack, posted on social media: “Vladimir, STOP!” — urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop bombing civilians.

“There are stories I would like to forget,” Pisareva says. “But I can’t. They leave scars — on children, and on us.”

What Ukrainian children fear most

“The biggest fear during war is to die,” says Pisareva. “Whether we admit it or not, we live with that fear because we see mortality everywhere.”

Children rarely speak this fear directly. Instead, they voice more tangible anxieties: the fear of losing parents serving in the military, siblings at the front, or close friends. Teenagers often express fear about the future, unable to imagine life beyond the war.

The widening psychological toll

Across Ukraine, trauma among children is widespread. A 2024 study by Save the Children found that 43% of Ukrainian children are showing signs of psychological distress — anxiety, irritability, sleep disturbance.

Among those referred for psychological support, the situation is even more stark: 70% of children and adolescents met the criteria for PTSD, and 95% of preschool-aged children in treatment also showed PTSD symptoms, according to mental health researchers.

Pisareva confirms what these numbers suggest. “We see eating disorders, self-harm, suicidal thoughts. It’s heartbreaking how early depression now begins,” she says. “Some cases go beyond what we can treat alone — we need psychiatrists, medication. And these are children.”

A childhood cut short

“When you’re always under stress, you have double pressure during each developmental stage,” Pisareva explains. “They should be busy being kids. But they can’t.”

With more than 1,600 schools damaged or destroyed and 737,000 children internally displaced, the basic anchors of childhood — education, safety, and freedom to explore — have been swept away.

Pisareva worries deeply about the long-term effects of this loss.

“I’m afraid they’ll become too adult, too serious, too gloomy too soon,” she says. “When you go through trauma too early, it’s very hard to return to that sense of lightness later. But it’s so important — to be spontaneous, to be joyful, to just celebrate life.”

And at the core of all this, she adds, is the simple but profound need for stability:

“Children need a basic sense of safety to grow — emotionally, psychologically, even physically. Without that, they can’t go through their natural development. We try to create it for them, but the environment works against us.”

Hope — and urgency

Despite everything, Pisareva believes healing is possible.

“Children have an incredible ability to heal — especially when they are loved, supported, and believed in. They may not forget what they’ve been through, but they can still grow, still laugh, still dream.”

But time is running out.

“Childhood has a deadline,” she says. “You’re a child until 18. That time won’t wait for the war to end. We have to help them now.”

Voices of children: One child at a time

The Voices of Children Foundation, where Pisareva works, supported over 41,000 children and parents in 2023 alone. With centers in 14 Ukrainian cities, mobile psychological teams, and creative therapy programs (from art and storytelling to filmmaking), they provide trauma care tailored to each child’s needs.

“Every child has a personal story,” says Pisareva. “We try to respond personally. That’s the only way through.”

A generation marked by war — and strength

As Ukraine’s children navigate grief, fear, and uncertainty, their resilience remains a source of hope.

“They’re learning something powerful — that peace is not guaranteed. That it’s valuable,” says Pisareva. “Maybe they’ll build a world that’s better than the one we gave them.”

This interview was conducted by Euromaidan Press in late May 2025, ahead of the traditional 1 June observance of Children’s Protection Day. However, on 30 May, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree moving the holiday to 20 November to align with World Children’s Day and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The change also reflects Ukraine’s broader effort to break from Soviet traditions and adopt international norms. Despite the date change, the urgency of protecting Ukraine’s children remains unchanged.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on 2 June that newly published Ukrainian and Russian memorandums highlight how far apart both sides remain after their latest negotiations the same day — with Russia repeating maximalist demands and Ukraine focusing on phased peace efforts and further dialogue.

Ukraine pushes for ceasefire, humanitarian steps, and lasting security

Ukraine’s memorandum, published by Suspilne on 1 June, outlines four core proposals:

• an unconditional ceasefire on land, sea, and in the air;
• confidence-building measures like returning all Ukrainian civilians and children and exchanging prisoners of war;
• a long-term peace agreement with firm security guarantees and full territorial integrity;
• and continued negotiations after the 2 June Istanbul meeting, including preparation for a Zelenskyy-Putin meeting.

Ukraine also insists on the right to join any security alliance, including NATO.

Nothing new: Russia repeats lang-grab recognition, regime-change, disarmament demands

Russia’s memorandum, published by TASS on 2 June, is split into three sections. The first demands Ukrainian recognition of Russia’s control over all of Ukraine’s Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson oblasts, and Crimea — and complete withdrawal from these territories. It also calls for permanent Ukrainian neutrality, cancellation of all military alliances, a total ban on foreign military presence, and strict protections for Russian-speaking populations.

The second section outlines two ceasefire options. The first requires Ukraine to withdraw beyond current front lines in all four oblasts. The second demands Kyiv demobilize, end martial law, cancel all foreign military support and intelligence sharing, and organize presidential elections within 100 days of martial law ending.

The third section proposes a short ceasefire to recover bodies, followed by a 30-day timeline for Ukrainian withdrawal and eventual signing of a peace deal — only after Ukraine forms a new government.

ISW: Russia still aims for total Ukrainian capitulation

ISW notes that these demands are consistent with the Kremlin’s longstanding goals: territorial gains, military and political control over Ukraine, and the installation of a pro-Russian government. As of 2 June 2025, Russia occupies 79.8% of the four contested oblasts, while Ukraine retains around 21,600 square kilometers, including major cities like Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, and Sloviansk. ISW adds that Russian forces have not shown the ability to capture cities of that scale since early 2022.

“Russian forces have not demonstrated the capacity to seize cities of this size since early 2022, and the Russian military is almost certainly incapable of conducting a successful offensive operation to seize one of these cities after three years of war and degradation,” the think tank wrote.

Child deportation claims briefly raised, dismissed by Russia

ISW also summarizes that Ukraine presented Russia with a list of hundreds of abducted children, which Russia dismissed. Kremlin negotiator Medinsky said the list included 331 names and denied mass abductions. Ukraine has verified the deportation of at least 19,456 children, with only 1,345 returned. Russia’s children’s commissioner previously claimed 700,000 Ukrainian children had been “accepted” by Russia.

Russian delegates call abducted children issue “show for childless European grandmothers”

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that during the Istanbul negotiations, Russian representatives dismissed the issue of abducted Ukrainian children as a "show for childless European old ladies" and acknowledged deporting several hundred children.

"I want our journalists, our people — and not only ours — to understand their attitude toward the humanitarian aspect. First, they told us not to ‘put on a show for childless European old ladies’ — that’s how they phrased it in Russian. That’s their attitude when we raise the issue of the children," Zelensky noted during an online press conference attended by the Kyiv Independent.

During the second round of peace talks in Istanbul on June 2, Vladimir Medinsky, aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin and head of Russia's delegation, presented a list submitted by Ukraine containing the names of 339 children it says were abducted by Russia and must be returned.

Medinsky rejected the allegations, denying that Russia had taken the children by force.

Ukraine has documented over 19,500 cases of children who were forcibly taken to Russia, Belarus, or occupied territories since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. According to official figures, only about 1,300 of them have been brought back to areas under Ukrainian control.

These actions have faced widespread international backlash.

In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Putin and the country's commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, over their alleged roles in organizing the deportations.

More recently, the European Parliament passed a resolution denouncing the deportations as part of a "genocidal strategy" to eliminate Ukrainian identity, calling for the immediate and unconditional return of all abducted children.

"We told them they had stolen 20,000 children, and they responded that it wasn’t 20,000 — at most, they said, it was a matter of a few hundred," Zelensky said. "Our delegation (was) offended by this... Honestly, I’m not. I think it’s more important not to fixate on the number, but on the fact itself — they admitted to taking children. We believe it’s thousands, they say it’s hundreds, but what matters is that they acknowledged the fact."

‘Closer to victory’ – Operation Spiderweb gives much-needed morale boost to Ukrainians after 3 years of full-scale war

A large-scale drone attack carried out by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), which reportedly destroyed or damaged 41 Russian heavy bombers on June 1, brought a much-needed morale boost to Ukrainians. Codenamed “Spiderweb,” the operation targeted the strategic aircraft that Russia uses for long-range missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. The

The Kyiv IndependentLinda Hourani

6,000 for 6,000: Kyiv and Moscow have agreed on the largest exchange of fallen soldiers since the full-scale war began in the latest meeting in Istanbul. 

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who leads the Ukrainian delegation, has announced that the parties agreed on a new large-scale swap at the negotiations. 

“We have agreed on exchanges. We will soon provide details,” he said after the talks.

According to the minister, the focus was on three key categories:

• Severely wounded and seriously ill prisoners of war,
• Young soldiers aged 18 to 25,
• Bodies of fallen soldiers.

The sides have agreed on an “all-for-all” exchange principle for each category. This includes exchanging 6,000 bodies of fallen soldiers for the same number from the Russian side.

In addition, the Ukrainian side handed over to Russia a list of several hundred kidnapped Ukrainian children who were illegally deported to Russia. Ukraine insists on their immediate return.

The negotiations ended following Ukraine’s biggest Spiderweb operation, which damaged or destroyed 40 Russian aircraft. Many military experts and officials have praised the strikes, calling them the future of modern warfare. 

A Ukrainian high school class held their final graduation ceremony at a cemetery to honor a classmate and his two siblings killed in a Russian missile strike.

The high-school students from the school in Korostyshiv, central Zhytomyr Oblast, visited the graves of their 17-year-old classmate Roman Martyniuk and his younger sister Tamara, 12, and younger brother Stanislav, 8, who died on 25 May after the Russian missile hit their home.

“The day of the last bell [traditional event to mark the end of a high school year], which should have been filled with joy, hugs, tears of happiness and farewell to school, turned into a day of silence, grief and deep pain,” the school wrote on Facebook. 

The class teacher conducted the last bell ceremony at the gravesite without the customary loud bells or music. The ceremony was described as being held “with deep reverence, respect and love.”

Instead of traditional graduation celebrations, the students brought toys, cards, and pieces of birthday cake to the cemetery. Tamara would have celebrated her birthday on the day before the ceremony.

“Today we once again felt how war steals not only lives – it steals childhood, youth, holidays, memories that should have been warm…,” the school’s post stated.

Two older children were living separately and survived because they were not home during the strike. Both parents survived the attack, though the mother required surgery and was in serious condition before the funeral, while the father sustained less severe injuries and attended the burial service on 28 May.

The lyceum principal told that Roman excelled in Ukrainian history and demonstrated strong aptitude in physics, a subject that poses difficulties for many peers.

The two younger children were enrolled at the community music school, where they learned to play the domra, a traditional stringed instrument. The siblings were reportedly in preparation for their music school graduation at the time of the attack. Tamara expressed interest in becoming a mathematics teacher like her mother, who survived the strike but lost her children. 

A Russian guided aerial bomb strike killed a 9-year-old girl and wounded a 16-year-old boy in southeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast during a massive overnight assault on Ukraine. 

Russian military forces conducted an extensive air assault on Ukraine during the night of 30-31 May, deploying over 100 drones and 5 missiles across the country, according to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The attack involved 107 Shahed-type strike drones and various decoy unmanned aircraft, supplemented by two reactive strike UAVs of undetermined classification.

Russian forces also fired two S-300 surface-to-air guided missiles and three Kh-59/69 guided aviation missiles. Ukrainian air defense systems successfully intercepted 71 of the 114 launched weapons. 

The strikes primarily targeted the Sumy, Kharkiv, and Donetsk oblasts, located near the frontline. Ukrainian forces destroyed 42 UAVs through direct fire engagement, while electronic warfare systems suppressed an additional 30 drones that were “locationally lost.” 

Russian strike kills little girl in Ukraine

In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian forces specifically targeted the village of Dolynka in Polohivskyi district using guided aerial bombs against residential area, according to the head of Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration. (ZRMA)

The attack killed a child, destroyed one house completely and damaged several buildings, vehicles, and agricultural structures through blast effects.

A 16-year-old boy who was injured in the strike remains in stable serious condition.

“Multiple injuries, amputation, contusion — the boy who suffered from the Russian shelling is in serious condition under the supervision of doctors,” wrote the head of ZRMA.

Russian forces conducted 628 separate strikes against 24 settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast over a 24-hour period. The attacks employed aviation, drones, rocket artillery, and conventional artillery systems.

Russia causes damage in agricultural areas

In northeastern Sumy Oblast, a drone attack struck a bread delivery vehicle in Nedryhailivska community, injuring the driver with shrapnel wounds requiring hospitalization. In Romenska community, drone hit a farm facility, resulting in a fire that killed livestock.

Trostyanetska community agricultural enterprises faced bombardment from two missiles and 13 drones, causing fires that destroyed enterprise buildings and transportation equipment.

The attacks ignite fires in Kharkiv

In eastern Kharkiv on the border with Russia, night strikes ignited fires across multiple districts. The Kyivskyi district saw an enterprise building roof burn across 250 square meters, while Shevchenkivskyi district experienced fires at a garage and two vehicles on enterprise grounds, according to regional emergency services. 

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

One child was killed and another was injured in a Russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia Oblast overnight on May 31.

A 9-year-old girl was killed and a 16-year-old was injured in the Polohivskyi district of Zaporizhzhia Oblast as a result of a Russian missile attack, Governor Ivan Fedorov said in a post to Telegram.

"One house was destroyed. Several other houses, cars, and outbuildings were damaged by the blast wave," he added.

The attack occurred in the frontline village of Dolynka in the Polohivskyi district, Fedorov said.

Russia has regularly targeted civilian infrastructure in aerial attacks against Ukraine since the start of its full-scale war in February 2022.

Moscow has intensified drone and missile attacks against Ukraine despite peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul on May 16.

The talks in Turkey were largely inconclusive. Russia reiterated maximalist demands that Ukraine hand over Crimea and eastern oblasts.

The two sides were able to agree to a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange, which was carried out between May 23 and 25.

Russian President Vladimir Putin refused President Volodymyr Zelensky's invitation to meet face-to-face in Istanbul. Instead, Russia sent a delegation of lower-level officials led by Putin's aide, Vladimir Medinsky.

Russia has refused a ceasefire and instead insisted it would provide Ukraine with a peace memorandum shortly after the May 16 talks. Ukraine and Russia are slated to hold another round of peace talks on June 2.

Meanwhile, Kyiv is still awaiting Russia's proposed ceasefire memorandum, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on May 28.

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine attacks elite Russian unit base nearly 7,000km away in Vladivostok, source claims

Key developments on May 28: * Ukraine attacks elite Russian unit base nearly 7,000km away in Vladivostok, source claims * Ukraine ready for 2nd round of Istanbul talks but seeks Russian draft memo in advance, Yermak says * Senate to ‘start moving’ Russia sanctions bill next week, Graham says * Russia may ‘consider’

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

The Czech court has convicted a teacher of pro-Russian propaganda in class, iRozhlas reports.

A court in Prague has delivered a guilty verdict in a case that stirred the country back in April 2022. Hana Bednarzová, a stylistics teacher, denied Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during a class, claimed that “nothing is happening” in Kyiv, and called ČT1, a public television channel, “controlled by George Soros.”

The teacher justified Russia’s actions against Ukraine and called Ukrainian soldiers “Nazis” who “remove skin from alive people and kill children.” Bednarzová also claimed that “the Russians have been killed in Donbas since 2014.”

When 13- to 14-year-old students objected, she dismissed their arguments, citing “edited footage” and “media fakes.”

Bednarzová was fired in May 2022. She tried to sue for reinstatement but failed. During the trial, she did not retract her words and even claimed that “everything about the war is a lie.”

The judge emphasized that the teacher exploited the trust of underage students, who could not critically assess her statements, a key point in the conviction.

Bednarzová called the case a “political witch hunt” and announced plans to run for parliament with the pro-Russian Stačilo! movement, which advocates lifting sanctions on Russia and Belarus.

Earlier, a Czech citizen who joined the Russian Armed Forces contacted Czech diplomats for help, said Daniel Dreik, the spokesperson for the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Russian forces increasingly rely on poorly equipped infantry assaults, often described as “meat-grinder” attacks. Its leadership often sends waves of infantry soldiers into fire with minimal artillery or drone support, resulting in heavy casualties.

Eleven more Ukrainian children have been successfully returned from Russian-occupied territories as part of the national "Bring Kids Back UA" initiative, Daria Zarivna, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff and head of the project, said on May 28.

Among those rescued is a young girl whose mother and brother, both defenders of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, spent more than three years in Russian captivity.

"All this time, the mother did not know whether she would ever see her children again. During the exchange, she met her son on the bus, and today she was finally able to hug her little girl," Zarivna said.

Another boy was reunited with his father and brother, both Ukrainian soldiers. The father has been serving on the front lines, while the brother had also been held in Russian captivity for over three years.

Zarivna also said a teenage boy who had been orphaned was rescued from Russian forces. The child had been kidnapped from his school, held in a basement, tortured, and nearly conscripted into the Russian army days before his 18th birthday.

The operation is the latest in a series of rescue missions under Bring Kids Back UA, a national initiative launched by Zelensky to coordinate the return of children abducted during Russia's full-scale invasion.

On May 22, Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak announced the return of nine other children from occupied areas. He described the children as survivors of grave abuse, including a girl whose life was endangered due to lack of medical care, and a boy who was imprisoned in a basement with his mother while Russian forces tortured his father nearby.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has identified over 19,500 children who were forcibly deported to Russia, Belarus, or Russian-occupied territories. To date, only around 1,300 have been returned to Ukrainian-controlled areas, according to official data.

The abduction of Ukrainian children has drawn international condemnation. In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of overseeing the forced deportations.

Earlier this month, the European Parliament passed a resolution labeling Russia's actions a "genocidal strategy" aimed at erasing Ukrainian identity, and demanded the unconditional return of all abducted minors.

On May 21, U.S. senators have introduced a resolution urging that no peace deal with Russia be made until all abducted Ukrainian children are returned. The resolution condemns Russia's forced deportation and Russification of Ukrainian minors as an attempt to erase Ukrainian identity.

Kyiv has maintained that the safe return of its children remains a central precondition for any future peace negotiations with Russia.

Because of Russia, my child understood fear early

My daughter is just over a year old. She’s learning to walk, says a few words in both Ukrainian and English, and because of Russia’s war, she already has an acute understanding of what it means to be afraid. The first time she reacted to the air raid

The Kyiv IndependentKate Tsurkan

Ukrainians held a public farewell ceremony for three siblings who died in a Russian missile attack on 25 May.

The victims were 8-year-old Stanislav, 12-year-old Tamara, and 17-year-old Roman from the Martyniuk family, who lived in Korosten, central Zhytomyr Oblast near Kyiv, according to Hromadske.

Several hundred people attended the ceremony, including family members, teachers, and community members.

The funeral procession moved from a church service to the city cultural center, where crowds filled the square. Attendees formed long lines to place flowers at the coffins, with bouquets arriving continuously throughout the ceremony.

Roman was scheduled to graduate high school within days of his death. His graduation ribbon was placed on the funeral hearse. Pavlo Pozdniakov, director of Lyceum No. 1 where the children studied, described Roman as passionate about Ukrainian history and confident in physics, a subject many students find challenging.

“Roman was on the threshold of his graduation, preparing for university entrance exams and was passionately interested in Ukrainian history. He would argue his point. Along with history, he studied physics. Children are afraid of this difficult subject, but Roman said: no, it’s easy,” Pozdniakov shared.

Both younger siblings attended the local music school, where they studied the domra, a traditional stringed instrument.

Music teacher Larisa Vasilivna recalled teaching Tamara just days before her death, noting the difficulty of accepting the loss of students she knew personally. The children were reportedly preparing for their music school graduation when they died.

“This is the future of our country, the future of our nation, which Russia is now destroying,” Larisa Vasilivna said.

School director Kateryna Grabchuk characterized the siblings as well-behaved students. Teachers remembered Tamara leading her younger brother to classes and both children excelling academically. Tamara had expressed interest in becoming a mathematics teacher like her mother.

The children’s parents were injured in the same attack. Their mother remains hospitalized, while their father attended the funeral with one of their two adult sons, aged 24 and 26.

The attack occurred during a large-scale Russian assault that targeted 13 Ukrainian regions with 69 missiles and 298 drones. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 45 missiles and 266 drones. The strikes resulted in 13 deaths and over 60 injuries nationwide, with Zhytomyr Oblast recording three fatalities and 12 injuries. Korosten mayor Yurii Denysovets declared 25 May “a black day in the city’s history.”