Ambassador of Ukraine to Estonia Volodymyr Boiechko took part in the conference of the Parliamentary Network on the situation of Ukrainian children, established by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The event was held at the Riigikogu – the Parliament of Estonia.

 The Parliamentary Network brings together parliamentarians from PACE member states, Ukrainian government officials, Estonian experts, and representatives of international organizations.

The participants of the event were addressed with short remarks by President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Margus Tsahkna, Head of the Estonian Delegation to PACE Kadri Tali, and member of the Riigikogu Eerik-Niiles Kross.

Estonian officials, in their statements, strongly condemned Russia’s crimes against Ukrainian children, emphasizing that the deportation of children constitutes an act of genocide that must be stopped.

The participants discussed practical steps to support the physical and psychological rehabilitation of Ukrainian children affected by the war, including:

• physical rehabilitation (medical assistance, prosthetics, and the work of rehabilitation centres);

• psychological rehabilitation (overcoming the consequences of trauma, building resilience, and reintegrating children into their families and communities).

The main speakers included: Minister of Social Affairs of Estonia Karmen Joller, representative of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine Vasyl Strilka, Olga Rudnieva (Superhumans Rehabilitation Centre), Pavlo Andrieiev (Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital), Roksolana Yurchyshyn (St. Nicholas Hospital, Lviv), and Anna Mikkonen-Berg.
The session was moderated by the Head of the Parliamentary Network, Olena Khomenko.

 The event marked an important step in strengthening international support for Ukraine and uniting efforts to help restore childhood to Ukrainian children affected by the war.

Photo: Erik Peinar, Riigikogu