The operation was carried out with support from partners under President Volodymyr Zelensky's Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
Among those brought back was 13-year-old Andrii, whose parents were threatened with losing custody unless he attended a Russian-run school where he was subjected to propaganda, forced to draw Russian soldiers, and required to take ideological tests, Kuleba said. Another teenager, 18-year-old Luka, had his home seized by Russian troops and received a military draft notice upon turning 18 despite serious health problems, Kuleba said. Thirteen-year-old Nina's parents faced threats of violence for refusing to send her to a Russian-controlled school where students were forced to sing the Russian national anthem daily and wear St. George ribbons, a symbol associated with Russian military patriotism.
"We will not stop as long as thousands of Ukrainian children remain trapped in a hostile system that seeks to break them every day," Kuleba said.
The children are now receiving psychological support, rehabilitation, and help restoring their documents at Save Ukraine's Hope and Recovery centers, Kuleba said.
The NGO says it has helped rescue more than 1,800 children from Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories. More than 582,000 Ukrainian children were studying in nearly 2,000 schools operating under Russian educational standards in occupied territories during the 2025–2026 academic year.
Ukraine's Justice Ministry has officially confirmed 20,610 cases of deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia as of September. In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova over the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children.