Ukraine children back home after alleged deportation

A group of more than 30 Ukrainian children have been reunited with their families months after they were taken from their homes and moved to Russian-occupied territories.

They crossed the border on Friday, after spending months in Russia and occupied Crimea.

The reunions were coordinated by the humanitarian organization Save Ukraine. The group says it has now completed five missions bringing home Ukrainian children it says were forcibly deported by Russia.

The children, pulling suitcases and bags of belongings, accompanied by family members, had crossed the border by foot a day earlier and were met by volunteers before being put on the bus to the Ukrainian capital.

Some of the children were released after their mothers went to Russia to track them down. Those women also had the power of attorney to bring back the rest of the children.

Ukraine says more than 16,000 children have been illegally deported by Russia, which led to an international arrest warrant against President Vladimir Putin.