Last week, twelve children who endured the horrors of Russian occupation were successfully rescued thanks to the efforts of the Save Ukraine team, with the support of the @bringkidsback_ua initiative. 

Each of their stories is heartbreaking: 

⚡️ 16-year-old Yaryna lost her mother due to the negligence of Russian doctors and lived in constant fear of being sent to an orphanage. 

⚡️ 17-year-old Timur received a conscription notice for the Russian army despite being underage. 

⚡️ 15-year-old Yulia was sent to a camp near Moscow for a week, where she was given excursions and “introduced to her new homeland.” 

⚡️ 8-year-old Vika and her father were hiding in their own home from the Russians. Her father, who refused to take Russian citizenship, constantly feared for her safety. A neighbor collaborating with the occupiers tried to take Vika away through the Russian guardianship system. 

⚡️ 13-year-old Ulyana spent almost three years in occupation with her mother, who was caring for her sick grandmother. She knew there was no future for her in her village, so she reached out to Save Ukraine for help. 

All of these children were at risk of losing not just their homes, but their futures. Russia blocks families from leaving temporarily occupied territories, uses children as human shields, and turns schools into propaganda tools. Under these conditions, every day is a fight for survival. 

But today, they are finally safe. Thanks to our partners @weareallukrainians2022, Ron Wahid, the Humanity Foundation, and the United Coordination Center for Search and Rescue, these children were freed from Russian captivity. 

In total, 571 children have been rescued from Russian captivity, including 129 orphans (59 boys and 70 girls). This is another small victory in the greater fight for humanity against the cruelty of the Kremlin regime.