Military service instead of school: Two Ukrainian teenagers rescued from Russian occupation
Illustrative photo: Two Ukrainian teenagers rescued from occupation (GettyImages)
Two Ukrainian teenagers have been rescued from Russian-occupied territories after spending years living under occupation, according to the Head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak.
He said an 18-year-old boy lived in a city where Russian forces completely replaced the Ukrainian school curriculum with propaganda. Teachers were forced to switch to Russian educational standards, and soldiers regularly came to classrooms to lecture about "serving the Motherland."
"The boy understood that the only 'future' left for him there was forced conscription into the occupier's army," Yermak said.
Another teenager, aged 20, spent nearly three years under occupation. During that time, he endured isolation, humiliation, constant inspections, and raids by Russian troops. His sister, who had earlier managed to escape to Ukrainian-controlled territory, eventually persuaded him to do the same.
Both young men are now safe and reunited with their families. They are starting new lives in free Ukraine — without fear, pressure, or Russian "education."
"Today, both boys are safe, reunited with their families, and beginning a new life in free Ukraine," Yermak added.
Deportation of Ukrainian children
According to Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, Russia has deported more than 19,500 Ukrainian children since the start of its full-scale invasion.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 1,625 children have been successfully brought home through the Bring Kids Back UA initiative — a state program aimed at returning Ukrainian children illegally taken to Russia or held in occupied territories.
The mass deportation of Ukrainian children was one of the key reasons the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Russia's commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.
Earlier reports said that an increasing number of countries are joining international efforts to help return Ukrainian children taken or held by Russia in occupied regions.
In addition, European nations are working to establish a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. On June 25, the Council of Europe and Ukraine signed a bilateral agreement in Strasbourg to support this effort.
