Russia and Ukraine to exchange more children after Qatar-brokered deal
Al Jazeera
Nine children to be returned to their families in Russia and Ukraine in the latest humanitarian exchange.
Nine Russian and Ukrainian children will be returned to their families this week in the latest humanitarian exchange between Kyiv and Moscow mediated by Qatar.
Russian Commissioner for Children, Maria Lvova-Belova, told reporters on Thursday that seven children, aged six to 16, will be sent from Russia to live with close relatives in Ukraine.
Lvova-Belova said the children had been living in Russia under varying circumstances. Most were living with a grandparent, she said, although one 16-year-old boy was living in a Russian orphanage.
Two boys, aged seven and nine, will also be returned to Russia after living in Ukraine for several years with a parent, she said.
Qatar said in a statement that its role as a mediator in the return of the children was “an extension of its approach to mediation and conflict resolution through peaceful means, in accordance with the principles of international law”.
