U.S. creates $25-M fund for Ukrainian children

The United States announced the creation of a $25-million fund on Thursday to help with the return of Ukrainian children forcibly relocated to Russia.

The fund will be used for “the identification, return and rehabilitation of Ukrainian children and youth who have been forcibly transferred or otherwise held away from their families and communities,” the US State Department said in a statement.

According to Kyiv, nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly taken to Russia since Moscow’s February 2022 invasion.

The fund will support two kinds of programs: identifying and tracking displaced children, and supporting their reintegration into society, the statement said.