Seven more Ukrainian children rescued from Russian occupation
Photo: Seven children and teenagers were evacuated from the occupied territory (Getty Images)
Seven more Ukrainian children have been returned from the occupation, where they had been under constant pressure from and risked being mobilized into the Russian army, according to the Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
Stories of the rescued children
The organization reported that among those rescued were children and teenagers who faced hostile propaganda and threats every day.
In particular, 6-year-old Nika was forced to march in her kindergarten under the supervision of armed guards.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Viktor lived for a long time in a frontline area under constant attacks. The young man said that the final straw was when a shell hit a neighboring yard, shattering the windows in his room.
"Today Viktor can finally sleep in silence and plans to continue his education at a Ukrainian educational institution," Bring Kids Back UA noted.
Threat of forced mobilization
For older teenagers, the main danger in the occupied territories remains conscription into the armed forces of Russia. Occupation authorities tried to send 18-year-old Dmytro to the front despite his health problems.
"One of the officers told him directly: 'How long can you keep studying? Go and fight,'" the statement says.
Eighteen-year-old brothers Marko and Mykhailo have also returned home. The boys were forced to hide from the occupation authorities and secretly study online in a Ukrainian school to avoid the fate of their peers, who were taken into the Russian army directly from their exams.
Currently, all the children are safe in the Hope and Recovery centers, where they are receiving the necessary psychological and humanitarian assistance.
How Russia is re-educating Ukrainian children
Russia is pursuing a systematic policy of militarization and ideological pressure in the occupied territories. It uses various methods, from creating networks of special camps and military bases for re-education to directly recruiting teenagers into the ranks of the Yunarmiya.
In particular, in occupied Donetsk, children are forced to take up assault rifles instead of attending creative clubs, getting them used to war from an early age.
The occupation authorities are also putting pressure on children in the Luhansk region, forcing them to participate in militarized events and Kremlin propaganda activities.
