Bohdan Yermokhin is one of 20,000 Ukrainian children illegally trafficked from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia.

An orphaned Ukrainian teenager brought to Russia from the war-torn country’s occupied territories has returned home before his 18th birthday after mediation by the United Nations and Qatar, avoiding possible conscription into the Russian army.

According to Ukraine, Bohdan Yermokhin was one of 20,000 Ukrainian children illegally trafficked to Russia since Moscow’s large-scale invasion in February last year. The practice is classified as a war crime by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The teenager, who had been living with his cousin in the port city of Mariupol after the deaths of both his parents, was captured by Russian troops and placed in a nursing home in Russia in the first weeks of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Yemokhin tried to return home alone via Belarus earlier this year but was stopped at the border and sent back.

He appealed to Ukrainian President Volodomir Zelensky to ask for help to return before his 18th birthday because he was at risk of being drafted into the Russian army.

‘Overwhelming’

On Sunday, Yomochin arrived in Ukraine via Belarus, the Reuters news agency reported.

“I believed I would be in Ukraine, but not that day,” Yermokhin told reporters after entering Ukraine.

“This is a very pleasant gift, to put it correctly. The emotions are overwhelming, everything is good, with the idea that Ukraine needs me.”

Zelensky welcomed Yermokhin’s return in his evening video address.

“Many attempts were made to help him. I’m glad everything worked out,” he said, thanking Ukrainian officials, international organizations and especially the UN children’s agency UNICEF and the authorities in Qatar for their mediation.

The ICC claims Russia intends to do this “permanently.” [remove] these children from their own country”.

It has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Children’s Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, saying there are “reasonable grounds to believe” that they are responsible for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.

Russia denies the allegations and says it was simply trying to protect children from the risk of violence in war zones. The Kremlin said Moscow does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC.

About 400 Ukrainian children brought to Russia during the war have been returned home.

“Thorny Path”

Yermochin’s lawyer, Kateryna Bobrovska, said the teenager was at risk of being drafted into the Russian army after being told to report to a military draft office near Moscow next month.

She called on Zelensky to help him return home, drawing international attention to the case.

Lvova-Belova, Russia’s children’s commissioner, said Yermokhin left Russia on a plane to Minsk on Saturday, where he met a cousin before flying on to Ukraine. She admitted that Yermokhin wanted to be reunited with his relative.

Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said he was grateful that Yermokhin was back home after his long ordeal.

“It was a thorny road. Bogdan went through a lot in Russia, but despite everything, he wanted to be home! Today his wish came true,” said Lubinets.