Eight more children, who had been illegally deported to Russia, have returned to Ukraine on Saint Nicholas Day, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak has said.

"Today, on Saint Nicholas Day, we are returning eight children home," he said on the Telegram channel on Wednesday.

"Joint efforts can work pre-Christmas miracles – four girls and four boys, 8 to 18, will reunite with their families very soon and celebrate holidays in the embrace of their loved ones in their Motherland. Effective cooperation between the Office team and Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets within the framework of the Ukrainian President's action plan Bring Kids Back UA," Yermak said.

He also thanked "Qatar and UNICEF for their engagement into the process of returning deported children and those who found themselves in the temporarily occupied territory."