First group of Bucha children arrive in Lithuania's Palanga resort

VILNIUS – The first group of children from Bucha, a town near Kyiv that has become a symbol of war crimes committed by the Russian army in Ukraine, arrived in Lithuania's Baltic Sea resort of Palanga on Saturday. 

The children and their accompanying adults were welcomed by Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte and Palanga Mayor Sarunas Vaitkus, the resort's municipality said in a press release.

"We are glad that you have come to our Lithuanian seaside and that you will have the opportunity to spend your holidays here in peace," it quoted Simonyte as saying. 

She wished the Ukrainian children "warm memories, smiling people and a peaceful sky where no missiles fly".  

Bucha Mayor Anatoli Fedoruk joined in via video link, sending his wishes to the Ukrainian children and thanking Lithuania and Palanga for the initiative.

A total of around 100 Bucha children who lost one or both parents during the war, and from large families and socially vulnerable groups are to visit Palanga this summer.