Russia, Ukraine swap children through Qatar's mediation

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Moscow and Kyiv on Thursday exchanged children from each other’s countries through Qatar mediation, Russian Children's Ombudswoman Maria Lvova-Belova said.

The exchange took place at Qatar's Embassy in Moscow in the presence of Ambassador Sheikh Ahmed bin Nasser bin Jassim Al Thani.

Five children will be transported to Ukraine, while one has already returned to Russia.

"In total, 64 children have already returned to Ukraine, and six have been reunited with relatives in Russia," Lvova-Belova said at the event.

For his part, the ambassador thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for their support of this process.

"This is a very important family reunification process. We thank Russian President Vladimir Putin for contributing to this operation. Also, all this is happening under the guidance and within the framework of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. We try our best to assist in these matters," he stressed.

The diplomat stated that Putin's victory in the presidential election is an important step toward future bilateral cooperation.

"We would like to thank the Russian government and the Russian people for re-electing Vladimir Putin. This is a critical step toward our continued collaboration," he asserted.

Earlier on Thursday, The Russian electoral authority officially approved the 2024 presidential election results, declaring incumbent President Vladimir Putin the winner, with 76.3 million people demonstrating their trust in his leadership.

Ella Pamfilova, the head of the Central Election Commission (CEC), said at a news conference in Moscow that over 87.5 million people voted during the three-day voting period from March 15 to 17.

"The final turnout in the Russian Federation's presidential elections was 77.49%. In total, 87,576,075 voters took part in the elections,” she said, adding that there has never been such a figure in modern Russian history.