Ukraine rescues two 18-year-old boys from occupation whom Russia intended to send to war
Photo: Ukraine rescued two 18-year-old boys from occupation whom Russia intended to send to war (t.me/ermaka2022)
Two 18-year-olds were successfully brought back from a territory temporarily occupied by Russia. The Russians had planned to send them to fight in the war against Ukraine, according to Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
"Two more 18-year-old teenagers were rescued from temporarily occupied territories as part of the Ukrainian President’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative. Both boys, after finishing school, had refused to enroll in Russian universities despite pressure from the occupiers," Yermak reported.
According to him, the boys wanted to leave for Ukrainian-controlled territory, but it was risky.
One day, they were handed draft notices, and the real threat of being forcibly conscripted into the Russian army to fight against Ukraine arose. This became their point of no return: the boys decided to make the dangerous journey and are now safe.
Both dream of studying at a maritime academy and becoming sailors.
"Now they can dream without fear and freely plan their future. They are currently receiving all the necessary assistance to restore their documents, as well as psychological support and guidance to begin a new stage of life. I thank the Ukrainian Child Rights Network and all partners who helped rescue the boys," added the head of the Office of the President.
Deportation of Ukrainian children
According to Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s parliamentary commissioner for human rights, since the start of the full-scale war, Russia has deported over 19,500 children from Ukraine.
At the same time, more than a thousand young Ukrainians have been successfully returned home, and the process is ongoing.
The deportation of Ukrainian children was the reason the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.
Additionally, in April, the Verkhovna Rada adopted as a basis a draft law establishing liability for the illegal transfer and use of children for military purposes by a representative of a foreign state.
Furthermore, a bipartisan group of US senators is calling for Russia to be recognized as a state sponsor of terrorism due to the mass deportation of Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied territories.
