Tonight | Foreign Correspondent on ABC: Ukraine’s Stolen Children follows a rescue network – Reporter Kathryn Diss follows an undercover network trying to return Ukrainian children taken by Russia during the war. Foreign Correspondent: Ukraine’s Stolen Children airs tonight at 8.00pm on ABC and ABC iview.
The investigation follows attempts to recover children moved from orphanages, summer camps and care homes. Each case involves more than a journey home: separation can affect family ties, education and a child’s sense of identity.
By following the people working to bring children back, the episode puts individual families at the centre of a much larger issue. It shows the risks of operating in territory controlled by Russia and the obstacles families face in trying to reunite.
Children moved into Russia
The program reports that Russia has taken tens of thousands of Ukrainian children. It also examines how Russian adoption websites have advertised some children from Ukrainian institutions and camps.
For children who remain with families in occupied territory, the danger does not end there. As they grow older, they may face military conscription and be forced to fight against Ukrainians.
Inside an undercover rescue operation
Diss joins a network working covertly to locate children and bring them back to Ukraine. Its members navigate the practical difficulties of reaching children and arranging their return while the war continues.
The episode follows those efforts rather than treating the removals as statistics alone. The possibility of a reunion gives each mission its urgency, while the wider questions of identity and family separation remain.
Olena Zelenska calls for action
Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska speaks to Foreign Correspondent about the removal of children. She calls on the international community to act against what she describes as Russia’s illegal actions.
Her interview places the rescue work alongside Ukraine’s broader effort to document missing children and secure their return.
Foreign Correspondent: Ukraine’s Stolen Children airs tonight, Tuesday 29 September, at 8.00pm on ABC and ABC iview.
For more TV Central ABC news, head here. Watch current and past reports on the official Foreign Correspondent page on ABC iview.
