Seven children evacuated from Crimea and occupied part of Kherson region
Photo: Ukraine returns seven more children from occupation (Getty Images)
Seven children have been evacuated from Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, including two orphans, stated Mykola Kuleba, founder of the charity organization Save Ukraine.
In cooperation with Bring Kids Back UA, Save Ukraine successfully returned seven children from the occupied parts of the Kherson region and Crimea. The total number of rescued children has now reached 508 (+7), with 115 (+2) being orphans.
Kuleba shared that three-year-old Ania was threatened by Kadyrov soldiers, who tried to take her away from her mother. The mother was forced to apply for Russian documents, was taken in for questioning several times, and was forbidden from using social media.
Despite the persecution, the woman managed to escape with her daughter.
"For Liudmyla and her 14-year-old son Yehor, the return was not easy either. Liudmyla now speaks in a whisper, afraid to talk openly or express her true thoughts," Kuleba explained.
At work, Liudmyla came under enemy shelling. The Russians threatened to tear up her Ukrainian passport and kill her. She hesitated to leave the occupied territory, fearing that her son might be taken at the border. After the occupation, Yehor became withdrawn and reluctant to communicate.
Deportation of Ukrainian children
According to the Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, Russia has abducted over 20,000 Ukrainian children. He warned that there is a risk of deportation for an additional 1.5 million children in occupied areas of Ukraine.
Lubinets emphasized that returning these children is a complex process.
Moreover, in 2022, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s ombudsman over the deportation of Ukrainian children.
