Ukraine returns teenager deported by Russians from temporarily occupied Mariupol

Ukraine returns teenager deported by Russians from temporarily occupied Mariupol

Ukraine has returned a teenager deported by Russians to Shakhtarsk, temporarily occupied since 2014 after the capture of Mariupol - Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine.

Viacheslav grew up without parents, and in 2021, at the age of 15, he began studying at the Mariupol Higher Metallurgical Professional School.

"He turned out to be brave and inventive. He found a way to make himself known and contact the right people. The rest was a matter of effort, patience and perseverance of many caring people. But today, the guy is with us," Vereshchuk wrote.

The minister thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Desnianskyi District Children's Service of Kyiv, Daria Kasianova of SOS Children's Villages Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Network for Child Rights.