Twenty-three children rescued from Russian-occupied areas: Ukrainian official

Twenty-three Ukrainian children and adolescents have been brought out of Russian-occupied areas of the country to territory under Kyiv's control, President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff said on Thursday.

Andriy Yermak, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the rescue was carried out under the president's "Bring Kids Back UA" programme aimed at bringing to safe areas children deported to Russia or confined to Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

Yermak said those returning included two sisters who refused a demand to attend Russian schools made by Russia-installed authorities who had threatened to remove the girls from their mother's care.

Refusal to attend Russian school 

Another teenage boy similarly refused to attend Russian school and one child and her mother were refused permission to leave occupied areas as one of their relatives was serving in the Ukrainian military.

Ukraine says Russia has illegally deported or forcibly displaced more than 19,500 children to Russia and Belarus in violation of the Geneva Conventions.

Research by Yale's School of Public Health suggested in September that the number could be closer to 35,000.

Russia denies it has deported children from Ukraine, saying it has taken action to ensure they are safe from wartime hostilities.