More Ukrainian children from Ukraine’s Russia-held regions arrive in Belarus despite global outrage

By YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus’ authoritarian leader has attended a meeting with children from Russia-controlled areas of Ukraine, openly defying an international outrage over his country’s involvement in Moscow’s deportation of Ukrainian children. President Alexander Lukashenko spoke during a meeting on Thursday marking the arrival of a new group of Ukrainian children ahead of the New Year holiday. He vowed to “bring them to our home” and “make their childhood happier.” A recent study by Yale University has found that more than 2,400 Ukrainian children have been brought to Belarus from Russia-occupied Ukrainian regions. The Belarusian opposition has urged the International Criminal Court to hold Belarusian officials accountable for their involvement in the illegal transfer of Ukrainian children.