Ukrainian children abducted by Russia

Mykola Kuleba, the leader of a Ukrainian charity working to return the children, has alleged that Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children is an attempt to steal the country's future and has left the youngsters with deep psychological scars.

Speaking on the sidelines of an international summit in Switzerland about the war, he called for international efforts to bring them home on Saturday.

“They base their strategy on deception, indoctrination of children, and genocide of the Ukrainian nation, he said.

Kyiv says about 20,000 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territory without the consent of family or guardians since the war began, calling the abductions a war crime that meets the U.N. treaty definition of genocide.

Moscow says it has protected vulnerable children from the war zone.