Ukraine has evacuated 307 children from Russian-occupied territories, including an 8-year-old boy who was recently reunited with his grandmother, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

According to Ukrainian authorities, more than 16,000 children have been deported to Russia since the beginning of the war a year ago. Russia said it evacuated people voluntarily

from Ukraine.

“At the end of February, the office of the Commissioner for Human Rights received a request to help return a child who was in the territory temporarily occupied by Russia,” Dmytro Lubinets, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, reported in Telegram.

“In a few days, thanks to the help and work of the office staff, Sashko got to know his grandmother,” added Lyubinets. Details of the operation are not disclosed.

Most of the displacement took place in the first months of the war, before Ukraine launched its major counteroffensive in late August to retake occupied territories in the east and south.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said in mid-August that 3.5 million people, including more than half a million children, had been deported to Russia so far.

According to the General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine, during this time, 464 children died in the war, which has been going on for the 13th month, and the police consider 356 missing. (Reuters)

(article photo: ©Yana Tatevosian|Dreamstime.com)