Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has issued a stark warning, claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin is intent on wiping Ukraine off the map. In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Svitolina, the top tennis player in Kyiv, accused Russia of genocide and called on the West to take action to bring back around 20,000 Ukrainian children who have been deported to Russian camps since Putin’s invasion in February 2022.
According to the Ukrainian government, more than 70 camps have been identified across Russia, Belarus, and occupied Crimea, where Ukrainian children are being forcibly “re-educated.” Svitolina, who made headlines in 2023 by defeating world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon quarter-finals just eight months after giving birth, described the situation as a deliberate attempt by the Russian government to erase Ukraine from the map through territorial annexation, child abduction, and military attacks.
As an ambassador for the charity Bring Back Kids UA, Svitolina emphasized the importance of rescuing the abducted children, stating, “The children are our future. We have to act to bring them back.” She highlighted the urgency of the situation in Ukraine, stressing that it is unacceptable in today’s world.
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) reported that Ukrainian children who were deported found themselves in a heavily pro-Russian environment, subjected to targeted re-education and propaganda campaigns. Despite international conventions mandating their return, Russia has been obstructing efforts to reunite the children with their families.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Putin and Russian children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova in connection with the deportations. Save Ukraine, a charity dedicated to repatriating the children, has already returned 373 children, many of whom showed signs of trauma.
In a recent development, nine children taken from Luhansk and Donetsk were successfully returned to Ukraine through a Qatari-brokered deal between Kyiv and Moscow. However, Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets expressed frustration with Russia’s delaying tactics, emphasizing the need for swift action to bring back the remaining abducted children.
As the situation continues to unfold, Svitolina remains resolute in her call for international intervention to address the crisis and ensure the safe return of Ukrainian children who have been unjustly taken from their homes.