On December 10, 2024, a screening of the British-Estonian documentary "After the Rain: Putin's Stolen Children Come Home" by Canadian director Sarah McCarthy took place at Cinema Artis in Tallinn.

This documentary has been included in the longlist of contenders for the 97th Academy Awards in 2025 in the category of Best Documentary Feature. At the heart of the film are Ukrainian children abducted by Russia during the war, who were illegally deported but later returned to their homeland.  At the heart of the film are Ukrainian children abducted by Russia during the war, who were illegally deported but later returned to their homeland. The documentary tells the story of their journey toward healing through animal-assisted therapy as part of a special psychological program designed and implemented in Estonia.

It is symbolic that the screening of the film took place on International Human Rights Day. Before the screening, welcome speeches were delivered by the Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Margus Tsahkna, and the First Lady of Estonia, Mrs. Sirje Karis, to an audience that included members of the foreign diplomatic corps accredited in Estonia, staff from the Office of the President of Estonia, representatives of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ukrainian community activists, and the broader Estonian public.

The central theme of the speeches emphasized Estonia's commitment to promoting and protecting human rights, with a particular focus on upholding children's rights as one of its declared priorities. In this context, it was highlighted that Estonia will make every effort to ensure the return of Ukrainian children abducted by the criminal Russian regime to their homeland.

To draw the attention of the broader international community to the urgent need to address this issue, Estonia's foreign diplomatic missions will conduct an awareness campaign featuring screenings of the documentary "After the Rain: Putin's Stolen Children Come Home" in their respective countries of accreditation.

We are deeply grateful to Estonia for its consistent efforts to ensure the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia during its full-scale aggression against our country!