Oleksii had lived with a foster family since he was a little boy. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the teenager firmly supported Ukraine. But when the occupying forces began talking to him, offering him alcohol, and spinning sweet tales about how great life was in Russia, the vulnerable teenager fell victim to their propaganda. He made the decision to leave for the aggressor country. His foster father begged him to stay home. But the boy left anyway, eventually ending up in a dormitory in Russia.

However, the “beautiful life” he had been promised turned out to be a lie. He spent his nights unloading train cars, and during the day, simply for telling the locals the truth about the occupation, he found himself getting into fights and violent altercations.

Then, one night, Oleksii had a dream about his biological parents. They were begging him: come back, take care of your sister—your only remaining blood relative. Oleksii woke up and realized he just wanted to go home.

But the most terrifying part of his journey began at the border, when the teenager attempted to cross it on his own. FSB agents beat him until he bled using a heavy metal bolt, interrogated him on camera, and mercilessly tortured him…

Eventually, through the dedicated efforts of our Save Ukraine volunteers, Oleksii was safely brought back to his foster family. He admitted his mistake and asked his family for forgiveness.