Ukraine rescues group of children from Russian occupation: Constant raids and threats
Children who haven’t seen their relatives for years (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Three more Ukrainian children have been successfully returned from the temporarily occupied territories as part of President Zelenskyy’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative, according to the Telegram post by the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak.
The children are teenagers aged 13, 14, and 15.
“A 15-year-old boy and his 13-year-old sister endured constant searches, threats, and shelling. When the Russians began regularly attacking their village with cluster munitions, one of the rounds hit their home. Fortunately, the family survived,” Yermak reported.
As for the 14-year-old boy, he lived with relatives for three years and had not seen his mother during that time.
“He studied online at a Ukrainian school. When the occupation authorities began checking children who were not attending Russian schools, there was a threat that the boy would be taken away from the family,” the head of the Presidential Office added.
How the President’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative works
Bring Kids Back UA is a Ukrainian state initiative aimed at returning children who Russia has illegally deported or forcibly displaced from Ukraine’s occupied territories.
The project’s goal is to identify all abducted children, secure their return, and provide legal support, rehabilitation, and assistance to their families.
The initiative operates through international negotiation mechanisms, humanitarian missions, documentation of crimes, and cooperation with foreign governments and organizations, including the ICRC and UNICEF.
The day before, Ukraine returned a 22-year-old man from Russian-occupied territory who had lived for years in fear of forced mobilization.
Over the course of the full-scale war, Russia has deported more than 19,500 children from Ukraine.
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine has managed to return more than 1,600 children from Russia thanks to the Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
