‘I’ve simply returned from Ukraine – none undergo horrors of struggle greater than youngsters’
Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty writes for The Mirror after visiting Ukraine following Russia’s massive drone attack across a 24-hour period – with nearly 1,000 drones fired
Ukrainian rescuers gather at the site of a residential building damaged in a Russian drone strike in Kharkiv on April 1(Image: SERGEY KOZLOV/EPA/Shutterstock)
In a time of global instability, one constant remains – the UK’s unwavering support for Ukraine.
Last week Russia conducted the largest drone attack on Ukraine across a 24-hour period, firing nearly 1,000 drones across multiple regions. In the aftermath, I visited Ukraine to reaffirm the UK’s ironclad commitment and ensure the crisis in the Middle East does not distract the world from the need to maintain pressure on Russia to end its illegal barbarous war against Ukraine and its people.
At the heart of every conflict are innocent lives, and none suffer more than children forced to face the horrors of war. During my visit, I met young people who have shown remarkable resilience in the face of Russia’s unprovoked aggression, children who have directly benefited from UK assistance and who represent the future Ukraine is fighting to protect.
Our two nations share many bonds. In fact, the city where I grew up in South Wales was twinned with Luhansk. So, it felt deeply personal to visit Lyceum 290 in Kyiv which is part of the UK‑Ukraine Schools Twinning Programme, launched in April 2025 and expanded earlier this year. Speaking to the Ukrainian children, I saw how the initiative connects them to pupils here in the UK, building on our cultural ties and equipping the next generation with vital skills for the future – curiosity, empathy and collaboration.
To date, over 23,400 children across both countries have taken part, with over 300 additional schools joining in the next three years.
READ MORE: Putin unleashes waves of Ukraine drone attacks as Russian troop death toll revealedREAD MORE: UK ground forces down Iranian drones – as search for kidnap victim launched
But the stark reality is that thousands of Ukrainian children continue to be torn from their homes in areas temporarily occupied by Russia. We have seen children cruelly taken from orphanages and transferred to Russian institutions or foster families, where they are issued Russian citizenship in an attempt to indoctrinate them and erase their Ukrainian identity.
The UK has already provided £2.8 million to help return and reintegrate children illegally deported by Russia.
Since June 2025, the UK‑supported Ukrainian verification centre has evidence that over 20,000 children have been illegally deported or forcibly transferred by Russian authorities. This number is expected to climb as investigators uncover further evidence of this systematic crime against humanity. This abhorrent practice must end now.
This week, I met with the investigation teams working tirelessly to verify names of missing children, trace their locations, and document evidence to hold perpetrators accountable. Their work is the essential first step in returning Ukraine’s children, offering families hope and ensuring these despicable crimes are brought to justice.
More widely, our financial support for Ukraine remains steadfast. Last month, the UK announced it has protected its development funding to Ukraine with £240 million per year to fund humanitarian, energy and reconstruction programmes. This crucial investment is strengthening Ukraine’s economy while addressing the country’s profound humanitarian needs, worsened by a brutal winter of attacks on its energy infrastructure.
This is not a one-way benefit. Our support for Ukraine is strengthening European security and contributing to the UK’s own safety and economic stability. This includes bolstering domestic supply chains, growing regional economies, and reinforcing the UK’s high‑value sectors such as defence.
And while we stand with Ukraine, we will continue to choke off Russia’s revenue streams to ensure that war in the Gulf does not become a windfall for Putin, including by allowing UK forces to seize shadow fleet vessels that pass through our waters. Russia must end its illegal war. Until it does, the UK will stand firmly with Ukraine to secure a just and lasting peace, one in which every Ukrainian citizen from the young to the old, can live free from Russian aggression.
