From occupation to safety: Mother and infant rescued after Russian attempts to take child
Illustrative photo: a mother and her infant rescued from occupation (Getty Images)
As part of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative, a mother with her infant was successfully brought back from temporarily occupied territories, according to Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
“As part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, a young mother and her infant were rescued from occupation,” Yermak said.
According to him, after her hometown was occupied in 2022, the 23-year-old woman’s life became a struggle for survival. When she refused to accept a Russian passport, so-called "child welfare services" attempted to take her newborn son under the pretext that she was allegedly unable to care for him.
It is reported that she lived in constant fear for a year, hiding from the occupying authorities to avoid losing her child. Her only dream was to go to her sister in Dnipro.
Today, the mother and her baby are already in territory controlled by Ukraine. They are receiving assistance with restoring documents, psychological support, and guidance to start a new life safely.
"I am grateful to the Ukrainian Network for Children’s Rights team for helping rescue this young family. We are fulfilling the president’s task – to bring back all Ukrainian children," Yermak added.
Deportation of Ukrainian children
According to Dmitry Lubinets, Ukraine’s Ombudsman, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, over 19,500 children have been deported from Ukraine.
At the same time, as President Zelenskyy reported, 1,625 children have been successfully returned to their homeland. This was made possible through the implementation of the state initiative Bring Kids Back UA, aimed at bringing back Ukrainian children who were illegally taken to Russia or held in occupied territories.
