A lack of awareness of host countries’ parenting styles is one reason for the removals, Kiev’s social services chief told RFE/RL
Child protection services in EU countries have removed 430 Ukrainian children from their families, according to Vasily Lutsik, the head of Ukraine’s National Social Service. Lutsik shared this information with US state-run Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
He stated that Ukrainian diplomatic missions in the EU, as well as the children’s relatives, have reported these cases.
Reports indicate that 122 children have been removed from their families in Germany, 39 in Poland, and 20 in both Norway and Spain. Of these, 65 have since been reunited with their families.
Lutsik explained that the reasons for removing these children vary. He said Ukrainian parents may not be aware of the host countries’ laws and parenting approaches, citing cases of minors being scolded loudly in public or walking to school unaccompanied. Mental health issues also play a role in some cases, leading to children being placed in care.
Olena Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, claimed in February that over two million children had left Ukraine since the conflict with Russia began in 2022, as reported by RFE/RL.
RFE/RL, currently headquartered in Prague, was established by the CIA during the early days of the Cold War with the aim of spreading anti-Soviet propaganda in the Eastern Bloc. It continues to be funded by the US government and primarily focuses on anti-Russia messaging.
Last year, Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights, said that over 700,000 children had been evacuated from Ukraine since February 2022. In May, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that all of these children must be reunited with their families. Lvova-Belova is leading an internationally mediated effort to reunite Ukrainian children with their relatives, and 70 minors have already been returned.