Ukraine returns 15 more children from Russian occupation
Illustrative photo: Ukraine returns 15 more children from occupation (Getty Images)
Fifteen more children have been returned from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, seized by Russian forces. Some of these children were at risk of being conscripted into the Russian military, according to Mykola Kuleba, head of the charitable organization Save Ukraine and former Ombudsman for Children with the President of Ukraine.
It is noted that the charity helped these Ukrainian children flee from the occupied areas of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, which are under Russian control.
"Currently, all the children and their families are safe, and each is receiving the necessary assistance at our centers," Kuleba said.
He added that the evacuation of these children from Russian-occupied territories was made possible through close cooperation with Bring Kids Back UA, and in total, 538 children have been brought back from Russian occupation.
Moreover, some stories of the rescued children were shared.
- A woman named Vitalina was in the final months of pregnancy when Russian forces entered her village, preventing her from leaving. After giving birth, she was forced to obtain a Russian passport and register her child with Russian authorities to prevent the baby from being taken away by Russians.
- Marichka was forced to attend a Russian school under occupation, where she had to learn poems about "the greatness of Russia." When she turned 18, Russians gave her an ultimatum: either become a Russian citizen or "take water and walk to Ukraine on foot."
- From the first days of the occupation of Sasha's hometown, Russians took over the children's camp where her mother worked. Russians forced her mother to return to work while Sasha was made to read Russian propaganda books.
- After the Russian destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station, Olena's house was completely flooded, submerging all her belongings and pets. She decided to leave for the sake of her son.
- Russian forces issued a military summons to 17-year-old Kyrylo, claiming that he was now a "newly minted citizen of Russia."
- Kateryna’s son was also threatened with conscription into the Russian army, prompting her to take every possible step to save him and bring him to a safe, free part of Ukraine.
Return of Ukrainian children from Russian occupation
Earlier, Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's Ombudsman for Human Rights, reported that Russia had abducted over 20,000 Ukrainian children. He warned that there was a risk of the deportation of another 1.5 million children currently in occupied Ukrainian territories.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to bring children back from the Russian-occupied regions regularly.
For instance, at the end of October, Ukraine had successfully returned six children — two girls and four boys, aged 8 to 16 — from the temporarily occupied part of the Kherson region.
