On Wednesday, May 7th, 5:30 – 7:00 pm, the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign will hold a vigil at London’s Kindertransport – The Arrival statue in Liverpool Street Station, demanding the return of Ukraine’s abducted children.

This location—one of London’s most poignant memorials to child refugees—honours the 10,000 Jewish children who escaped Nazi persecution between 1938 and 1939. 

This vigil precedes a major demonstration USC has jointly called in London on Sunday, June 1^st. Supporters include President Zelensky’s Bring Kids Back campaign, the Trade Union Congress and the  Save Ukraine centre, dedicated to rescuing  abducted children.

As we commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we are reminded that the scourge of fascism has returned to Europe.

In 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, ushering in annexation, war crimes, and brutal colonial rule. 

This genocidal war has deliberately targeted Ukrainian children, forcibly relocating them to Russia, subjecting them to re-education, militarisation, and the erasure of their cultural identity.

In the early months of the invasion, Ukrainian authorities recorded 19,546 abductions—a war crime under international law. The true scale of this atrocity remains unknown, with Russian officials claiming that since February 2022, more than 700,000 Ukrainian children have been taken.

The Ukraine Solidarity Campaign, alongside Ukrainian community groups, theCampaign for Ukraine and Vsesvit solidarity collective, calls for urgent action. 

The vigil will feature a range of speakers, reinforcing the urgent call for justice and the safe return of Ukraine’s stolen children, including:

• John McDonnell MP – Former Shadow Chancellor

• John Sweeney – Journalist

• Unmesh Desai – London Assembly Member

• Zoe Gardner – Migrant Rights Campaigner

• Simon Weller – ASLEF Assistant General Secretary

• Peter Roberts – GMB London Region

• Yuliya Yurchenko – Representative of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine