According to its own accounts, Ukraine has so far brought 2,665 children back to government-controlled territory. This was reported by the secretariat of the Human Rights Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada in response to a request from Ukrinform. As of 7 October 2026, 2,363 children were listed as missing on the official state portal “Dity Wijny” (“Children of War”). For 59,676 children, their whereabouts had already been established. Separately, the authority documents 20,651 cases of deportation and/or forced displacement of children.
The authority stresses that the categories must be kept strictly separate: missing children on the one hand, and children with a confirmed deportation, forced displacement or residence status in temporarily occupied territory or in the Russian Federation on the other. Not every child brought back had previously been listed as missing or subject to a search, the response states. Partners played an important role in establishing whereabouts and organising a safe return: according to the response, 83 children were brought back through mediation by the state of Qatar, and 30 children in particularly difficult cases with the support of US First Lady Melania Trump.
The secretariat’s figures differ slightly from those of the Ministry of Justice. According to a ministry statement of 14 August 2026, 20,610 cases of deportation or forced displacement had been confirmed at that time – also with the note at the time that the figure was not final, as new information was constantly being received and each case had to be examined individually. Justice Minister Denys Maslow had explained this at a working meeting with the UNICEF representative in Ukraine, Anne-Claire Dufay, on 11 August. At that time, it was said that Russia provides Ukraine with no information about deported or forcibly displaced children; documentation, verification and the exchange of information were therefore crucial. The ministry maintains the register of deported or forcibly displaced children and provides organisational support for the work of the interministerial commission for verifying the data.
Ukrinform also reported that since the beginning of the year, 208 children have been brought back from the temporarily occupied part of the Kherson region.
Why the figures are so hard to pin down
The difference between 20,651 and 20,610 cases is not a contradiction but the expression of an ongoing process: each case is verified individually, and new information is continuously added. The authorities therefore distinguish between missing children, children with confirmed deportation or forced displacement, and children whose whereabouts in occupied territory or in Russia are known. This separation explains why the number of children brought back cannot simply be offset against the number of documented cases. Some of those who returned had never been reported missing.
Experts see Moscow’s lack of cooperation as the central obstacle. Without reliable information from the Russian side, clarification and repatriation remain dependent on documentation, witness statements and international mediation. The fact that Qatar and the US side were able to mediate in individual cases shows how much the return of children depends on political channels – and how slowly it is progressing.
What this means for the families
For the affected families in Ukraine, the return of a child is the decisive turning point. Until then, it often remains unclear whether the child is alive, where they are and under what conditions. The Ukrainian side regards the practice of deportation as an attempt to sever the children’s contact with their families, their language and culture and to erase Ukrainian identity. For Germany, which has taken in more than one million Ukrainians, the figures are also relevant because many refugees have relatives in the occupied territories or in Russia and depend on information about missing children.
The next steps lie with the interministerial commission and the international partners. New case figures are likely to follow once further information has been verified. Whether and when repatriations will speed up depends largely on whether mediation channels such as those via Qatar and the US can be expanded. A breakthrough is not currently in sight.
