The European Commission, in conjunction with Poland, has launched the initiative to search for the Ukrainian children who were illegally deported from the occupied territories of Ukraine.

"It was estimated that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian forces have sent thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia. Kidnapping of Ukrainian children is a big social issue, tragedy and crime,"  Dana Spinant, spokesperson of the European Commission, said at a briefing in Brussels.

"This is why, in conjunction with Poland, we launch this initiative with the support of the UN agencies. Our goal is to unite the forces in order to collect evidence, find the kidnapped children and prosecute those responsible for these crimes," Spinant added.

She stated that more detailed information about the initiative will be provided in a few days.

A new sanctions package includes sanctions against the persons involved in kidnapping the Ukrainian children and deporting them to Russia.