Canada to co-host conference on returning Ukrainian kids, detainees

Canada will co-host an international conference in Toronto later this month aimed at securing the return of Ukrainian children, detained civilians and prisoners of war held by Russia.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced Saturday that Canada, Ukraine and Norway will host the two-day conference on Sept. 28 and 29.

The event, called Pathways to Peace: Second International Conference on Returning Ukrainian Children, Detained Civilians, and Prisoners of War, will bring together foreign ministers, senior government representatives and international organizations.

“Canada, Ukraine and Norway are convening the conference to strengthen international support for efforts to bring people home, protect those who remain under Russian control and ensure that those who return can access rehabilitation and reintegration services,” Global Affairs Canada said in a statement.

Ukrainian authorities have documented 20,651 cases of possible unlawful deportation or forcible transfer of Ukrainian children by Russia, according to the federal government.

So far, 2,573 children have been returned from deportation, forcible transfer and temporarily occupied territories.

As of June, Ukraine’s parliamentary commissioner for human rights had confirmed 1,878 civilians were being unlawfully detained by Russia. Global Affairs Canada said the true number could be significantly higher, with some civil society organizations estimating that as many as 20,000 civilians could be detained.

Ukraine does not disclose the exact number of its prisoners of war being held by Russia.

As of August, 9,529 Ukrainian military personnel and civilians had been returned from Russian captivity, according to Global Affairs Canada.

Participants in Toronto will discuss ways to strengthen tracing and information sharing and establish pathways for people to return to Ukraine.

The conference will also focus on humanitarian access and family contact for those who remain under Russian control.

The gathering comes as Russia intensifies its air campaign against Ukraine.

Russian strikes killed eight civilians and wounded dozens more across Ukraine on Saturday, according to local officials.

Two people were killed when Russian drones struck a residential area in Zaporizhzhia, while another person was killed in Kryvyi Rih. In Odesa and the surrounding region, 35 people were wounded in what regional officials described as a “massive attack.”

Three people were also killed when drones struck vehicles in Kramatorsk, while two others died in a Russian attack on a grocery store in the Zhytomyr region.

The attacks came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the deployment of European troops to Ukraine would mean direct conflict with Russia.

“Now they’re talking about how they’re considering sending troops into Ukraine. That means a war with Russia,” Putin said Friday during a summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies in India.

Some European leaders have pledged support for a potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine as part of a future peace agreement, a proposal Moscow has repeatedly rejected.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said in an interview published Saturday that he would be willing to meet Putin if both leaders were invited to the G20 summit in Miami in December.

Canada has committed more than $26 billion in multifaceted support to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, including more than $750 million for recovery and reconstruction, according to the federal government.