UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Mar. 27 — Local authorities have recorded three cases of children being forcibly removed from their families and evacuated from the Kupiansk district, east of the Kharkiv region, said Oleh Syniehubov, the governor of the Kharkiv oblast, during the meeting with journalists.

On Mar. 2, the law that allows a forced evacuation of children from the areas threatened by Russia’s war without parents’ consent came into effect.

The governor said that 500 civilians are living in Kupiansk. Local authorities are constantly verifying information about the presence of children in the city.

“Of course, we were supposed to ensure the complete evacuation of children from the city itself, but we are seeing cases where people are returning to the city and to other settlements in the district,” said Syniehubov.

According to the governor, children from two families were evacuated without their parents, and in the third case, the mother left with her child. He also said that two of the evacuations were from Kupiansk, and the third was from the Velykyi Burluk direction, 40 kilometers (~25 miles) north of Kupiansk.

Syniehubov said that one of the forcibly removed children has a disability and is currently in the hospital undergoing medical examinations.

“The necessary treatment for this child will be provided once a temporary family is found to take care of the child,” said Syniehubov. The law says the boy’s parents have a six month window to go to the child services and get their child back, provided they have proof they’ve moved from dangerous territory. 

Since Mar. 20, local authorities of the Zolochiv community plan to declare a mandatory evacuation in Liutivka, Svitlychne, and Makarove, villages located 10 to 6 kilometers (3.7-6.2 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border, as families with children live there.

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