Dozens of Ukrainian children
are reunited with their families months
after being stolen
by Russian officials, effectively
trying to turn them into Russian kids.
Just last month,
you'll recall
the International Criminal Court
issued an arrest warrant
for Russian President Vladimir Putin
and his so-called commissioner
for children's rights, Maria Bulova,
accusing them of forcibly abducting
thousands of children from Ukraine.
Russia says it's done
nothing wrong,
calls it a humanitarian campaign.
Now, two Ukrainian children who back home
are talking about their ordeal
with CNN's Nick Paton Walsh
Here's his report.
Pedersen may be free,
but it's haunted by occupation.
When Russian troops fled last year
blowing the bridge,
it was only just across the river
from where
their snipers
and artillery now regularly fire
Thursday, shelling,
killing a local man here.
And Saturday a mother and child. How?
Come on, this was haunted, too.
Is the homecoming here of Bogdan,
aged 13.
We first met
him in
Kiev when
he'd just been rescued
from occupied Crimea.
He was one of thousands of children
Ukraine says were forcibly deported
by Russia, a charge
that's led to war
crimes indictment against Putin.
But home is tough.
And on this hard
hit island off of Kherson, so dicey
with Russian troops near this bank
and shelling the water,
the police won't let us over the bridge
in the future.
This is Bergdahl's
first time outside since he got back.
When we get him, ice cream and pizza
we have home isn't great.
A violent row there the night before.
Left glass broken in his hand.
Cut up the bangs outside.
Make it harder.
Still threw a switch.
Made no me, no trouble.
Not just the wishes of you.
Or for yourself.
I just want to mature.
Yes.
What are the words rooted for?
Augmented reality?
Daughter to some
alumnus of the newly delivered
The camp in Crimea
had gentle indoctrination,
daily Russian anthems.
But it wasn't his thing
because all the good stuff we were
auctioned off more so cleanly.
So to see
Cochrane
will have missed a lot of the juices.
If we had to listen to factual.
You know,
Walker was all about proposals
to reform the studio
and I told
you I on your cell phone, Summerville,
because you were worried
some of your moves are askew.
Then all options in your house
and you turn you.
So I would also like a song
you would jump on moves up a tragic use.
Nobody in the town has its troubles.
Locals angrily
queuing here for cash handouts.
An arena
has endured animosity from neighbors
ever since she left Bogdan go to
what she thought
would be a safer place for just two weeks
was pretty years
present had reduced to Yakovlev.
Would you have done not a dollar
does a home in Estonia present?
I would.
-$30 billion to date.
What about on the idea
to abandon the ship
without them commute of Seward,
which a digital ranging
specialty and social
ladder would have
seen them
in know nothing about a show of new money
cookies.
Christakis East home here can be hard.
Ten was also sent to Crimea.
Her parents separated badly
and she came back
straight to her father, Alexander L Word.
But in the shop as they gather hand out
toys, clothes and food
because her father has lost his job
in the war
the background chatter is also
that parents who let their kids go to
the Russians
should be treated with caution
as sympathizers
turn out communism.
I continue with the custodial boy.
Yeah.
I asked Keira
how the Russian camp was where she stayed
to get a boy mother of a super enough
little Sofia suit.
Better than I ask
if it's better to be home.
So
their world
is still spinning
between two sides of a war, leaving them
nothing but Disney that we knew of.
Nick How are the kids
adapting to life in Harrison now?
Yeah, I mean, look, very complicated
personal circumstances
for a lot
of these children
as they return to a country
where their families
are clearly struggling
to provide the kind of home most parents
would like to do.
But also to around
that are the circumstances of life
in her son per se.
You saw partially in that video to the
for instance,
in which we see lots of locals
together angrily
demanding the payouts
that they hope the Ukrainian government
would give them more easily.
A lot of that is associated
with the destruction of their homes
and also to throughout the day and night
shelling constant in Harrison.
It's very hard to tell exactly off
from where it's landing.
But the persistent back
drumbeat of of explosions
means that life and her son is far
from anything
any child would want to come back to.
It's interesting, Anderson,
because a lot of the time, you know,
you talk to the parents
we spoke to
and they refer to the initial decision
to send their children to occupied areas
of Ukraine
as something voluntary,
essentially a choice
from complicated circumstances at home,
coupled with the bombardment
that her son was facing at that time.
They thought, well, you know,
a couple of weeks in a holiday camp
controlled by Russians,
how is that going to hurt?
But it was obviously months
that these children ended up spending
forcibly separated from their parents.
That's left them in these circumstances.
That glad to be home, certainly.
But it's the home
they've returned to that compromised
and still a place at war Anderson.
Nick Paton Walsh, appreciate it.
Thanks, Nick.