US allocates $27 million for the return of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia
"We are sincerely grateful to the United States for its unwavering and strong support of efforts aimed at the return, rehabilitation, and full reintegration of Ukrainian children and young people," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
The U.S. State Department has allocated $27 million to aid in the return and reintegration of Ukrainian children who have been forcibly deported to Russia, following the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. As of September 2026, Ukraine's Justice Ministry has officially confirmed 20,610 cases of such deportations, although Ukrainian officials believe the actual number could be in the hundreds of thousands.
The U.S. is providing $12 million for a program aimed at identifying, returning, and reintegrating Ukrainian children in Russia and Russian-occupied territories, with an additional $15 million authorized for the same purpose. This funding, announced at a session on Ukraine's forcibly deported children, is intended to ensure accountability for Russia's actions and support the safe return and rehabilitation of the affected children.
Brief written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
