World Relief Applauds Release of First Wave of Detained Ukrainian Children, Urges Swift Return of Remaining Estimated 35,000

Leading Christian global humanitarian organization thanks First Lady Melania Trump for efforts

Contact: Lauren Rasmussen, media@wr.org, 802.310.4255

BALTIMORE, Md. – Responding to First Lady of the United States Melania Trump’s announcement on Friday of the successful release of eight Ukrainian children from Russian captivity, World Relief celebrates the return home of these precious souls. These efforts have been propelled by the First Lady’s channel of communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin and her tireless advocacy. World Relief has been at the forefront of a contingent of leading evangelical voices urging the First Lady and other leaders to intervene and secure the release of these children.

Following the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, an estimated 35,000 children have been abducted by withdrawing Russian troops along the frontlines of the war. These children’s identities and locations have been obscured and their documentation remade into Russian identities, many now integrated into Russian families. Countless Ukrainian families have been torn apart by these horrendous acts, and the work to discover and identify these children is arduous and essential.

“First Lady Trump, you have changed the lives of many children by your committed work and dedication to their well-being,” commented Chelsea Sobolik, director of Government Relations at World Relief and leader of the evangelical advocacy effort to free these children. “As you correctly stated, ‘a child’s soul knows no borders – no flags’. During times of war and conflict, the vulnerable pay the heaviest price, and children are always the most vulnerable.”

Scripture asserts that every child is made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). World Relief believes that we are called to defend the vulnerable, specifically the poor, the widow, the orphan and the foreigner (Zechariah 7:10), and it is in the organization’s DNA to seek justice for the oppressed (Isaiah 1:17). 

World Relief has been operating in Ukraine since shortly after the Russian invasion in March 2022, first through local partners and now with a permanent World Relief presence focused on building adaptable, church-led initiatives to meet humanitarian needs. World Relief and its U.S.-based church partners have also served more than 11,000 Ukrainians who have found refuge in the United States since March 2022.

“In scripture, we are presented with an image of a God who pursues each of us, leaving behind a flock to secure a lost lamb. It is with this dogged persistence that these Ukrainian children must be found and returned to their homes and families,” added World Relief President and CEO Myal Greene. “We urge President Trump and First Lady Melania to continue to prioritize restoring all 35,000 children to their families as a precondition for peace between Ukraine and Russia.”