Montreal –

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says she hopes countries from around the world will support a plan to bring back Ukrainian children who have been deported to Russia since the war in Ukraine began nearly three years ago.

Joly urged more than 60 delegations attending a ministerial conference in Montreal on Wednesday to make a “strong pledge” to ensure children and other Ukrainian civilians are returned home.

The Ukrainian government estimates that 19,500 Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia and 1,800 civilians are unlawfully detained in the country, a senior Canadian official told The Canadian Press.

The official, who requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly, said that 998 children have been returned to Ukraine to date, but finding deported children is a major challenge, in part because their names are often changed.

Andriy Yermak, head of the office of the president of Ukraine, told delegates that Russia is trying to destroy Ukrainian identity by deporting children.

Canada is co-chairing a working group on the release of prisoners and civilians with Ukraine and Norway, as part of a 10-point peace plan announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in November 2022.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2024.