MFA comment regarding statements by Children's Rights Commissioner for the president of the RF

Children’s Rights Commissioner for the president of the RF Pavel Astakhov at his official Internet page for several months in a cynical way have used misinformation about the situation with children in Eastern Ukraine, obviously, aiming to cover up unlawful actions of illegal armed groups acting in Eastern Ukraine. His recent statements on ban by Ukrainian authorities to remove children from the anti-terrorist operation zone appear complete nonsense and are openly provocative.

In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine notes that the state authorities of Ukraine take all possible measures to ensure safe evacuation to the free of clashes regions of Ukraine of orphans, children deprived of parental care and disabled children, who remain in social institutions of children’s protection and residential institutions of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

As of today, from the East of Ukraine 1508 Ukrainian children of the specified categories have been evacuated. However, 119 children still remain in Krasnodon and Rovenki residential homes.

At this, the efforts of the responsible state authorities of Ukraine to remove them undergo constant attempts to be hampered by terrorist groups. It isn’t excluded that terrorists will again make attempts to kidnap and illegally move the children to the Russian Federation, including hiding behind the loud statements by Mr. Astakhov.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine calls upon the Russian side to stop using Ukrainian children as tools in their political game, thereby putting at risk their health and lives.