Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk urged Russians not to adopt children who she said were "stolen" in Ukraine during the war and deported to Russia, Reuters reported.

The International Criminal Court in the Hague recently issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, charging them with the war crime of unlawful deportation of hundreds of children from Ukraine. ”Once again, I remind all Russian so-called ‘adoptive parents’ and ‘guardians’: sooner or later you will have to answer”, Iryna Vereshchuk said. In a speech to the European Parliament, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for further efforts to establish the whereabouts of the Ukrainian children abducted by Russian forces. According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Reintegration, 19,514 children have been illegally deported from the country.

According to Ukrainian military officials, Russian forces have had some success in the eastern frontline city of Bakhmut, Reuters reported. ''Ukraine's forces are holding the city and are repelling numerous attacks”, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is developing a new concept to protect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said during his visit to the power plant. "I am trying to put on the table realistic, viable proposals that can be accepted by all," he said.

Translated and published by: K. Atanasov