Ukraine rescues 23 children from Russian occupation after months of threats and pressure
Illustrative photo: Ukraine has returned more than 20 children from occupation (Getty Images)
Ukraine has managed to evacuate 23 children from temporarily occupied territories, where they were living under threats and pressure, said Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
Yermak said that among the returned children are two sisters, aged 11 and 14, whom Russia tried to force to attend a Russian school. Their mother was threatened that her daughters would be taken away if she refused.
One of the teenagers was left without guardianship after the occupation. He was forced to apply for a Russian passport but refused to attend a Russian school. A young girl and her mother were denied permission to leave the occupied territory because a relative served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. After that, the family was left without documents and lived under constant pressure.
"Today, all the rescued children are safe — receiving medical, psychological, and humanitarian assistance, restoring their documents, and gradually returning to a peaceful life," the head of the Presidential Office said.
Re-education of children in the occupation
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that in the temporarily occupied territories, the Russians are re-educating Ukrainian children.
According to him, Russia has developed entirely totalitarian programs for this purpose, aiming to condition children to fight even against their own homeland.
Recently, the National Resistance Center reported that in the occupied territories, the process of Russification has now even reached kindergartens, where Russian language lessons have been introduced.
