Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The so‑called “governor” of Kherson region has been notified of suspicion for organizing the illegal removal of Ukrainian children
Under the procedural supervision of the juvenile prosecutors of the Office of the Prosecutor General, Volodymyr Saldo, the so‑called “governor of Kherson region,” has been notified of suspicion. According to the investigation, he organized the illegal removal of three Ukrainian children from occupied Kherson to Crimea under the pretext of vacation and “rehabilitation.”
The investigation established that in October 2022 Saldo ordered the occupation’s “ministry of education” to organize the transfer of children from educational institutions in Kherson region to Crimea. To accomplish this, vacations were announced, and the heads of institutions were obliged to ensure the sending of students on the so‑called recreation.
7 October 2022 three underage students of the Kherson Vocational Shipbuilding Lyceum were taken to temporarily occupied Crimea without their parents’ consent. Initially they were taken to the Druzhba children’s camp in Yevpatoria, and later transferred to another camp.
After the vacations ended, the children were not returned home. In January 2023 they were enrolled without their parents’ consent in the Kerch Marine Technical College controlled by the occupation authorities. There, the teenagers were involved in military‑patriotic activities, exposed to Russian propaganda, and pressured to adopt a Russian identity.
One of the boys, who had a disability and a severe form of diabetes mellitus, due to a lack of insulin and untimely medical care was admitted to the intensive care unit in Yevpatoria. He remained hospitalized for about three weeks.
As part of the President’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative and with the assistance of the public organization Save Ukraine, all three children were able to be returned to Ukraine.
In addition to Volodymyr Saldo, two other persons were notified of suspicion — the acting head of the lyceum controlled by the occupiers and the vocational training instructor.
All three are charged with violations of the laws and customs of war, committed by a group by prior conspiracy (part 2 of Art. 28, part 1 of Art. 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).