Lithuania to Host Rehabilitation Program for Ukrainian Children Returned from Russia
Lithuania has announced plans to provide medical and psychological rehabilitation for Ukrainian children who were forcibly deported to Russia and later repatriated.
The Gaze reports this, referring to LRT.
According to Lithuanian Health Ministry advisor Skirmantas Krunkaitis, the initiative is in its final technical stage, with authorities preparing to receive the first groups of children.
“We are now deciding when the children will be able to start coming to Lithuania,” he told LRT.
The program was launched in response to a request from Kyiv. Under the plan, children will receive treatment in rehabilitation facilities, including motor and respiratory therapy, as well as psychiatric support to help mitigate the trauma of forced displacement.
Eligibility will be based on medical criteria and confirmation that the children were among those abducted and taken to Russia.
Children will arrive in Lithuania accompanied by parents, guardians, or other caregivers, with accommodation and meals fully covered.
Authorities estimate that Lithuanian medical institutions can admit around 15–20 children per month, or roughly 150 per year.
The program is expected to cost about €400,000 annually, with 2025 expenses covered through loan funds and long-term financing expected from the European Union or other sources starting in 2026.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly described the return of children abducted by Russia as one of the most pressing humanitarian challenges.
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, more than 19,500 Ukrainian children have been deported or forcibly relocated to Russia, according to official figures.
The International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, which includes 38 countries, the Council of Europe, and the European Union, has demanded Moscow return all abducted children immediately and unconditionally.
As The Gaze previously informed, Melania Trump sent Russian President Vladimir Putin a “peace letter,” personally delivered by Donald Trump ahead of the Alaska summit, urging joint efforts to safeguard children and future generations.