Last week, the Save Ukraine team rescued 6 Ukrainian children and teenagers from Russian occupation. This mission was made possible thanks to the support of Wladimir Klitschko, Tatjana Kiel from WeAreAllUkrainians, The Humanity Funds, and the Joint Coordination Center for Search and Release. These children endured years of intimidation and attempts to erase their national identity, but today, they are finally safe.

Among those rescued:

🔹 12-year-old Myroslava, whose home was raided by Russian soldiers after a villager reported that her family possessed a Ukrainian flag. The occupiers ransacked the house, interrogated Myroslava while searching through her phone, and scrutinized the family’s banking apps for any record of donations to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

🔹 18-year-old Vladyslav, who had dreamed of escaping the occupation since the ninth grade. He was deeply traumatized by the propaganda used to indoctrinate Ukrainian children. In an effort to avoid conscription into the Russian army, he enrolled in a university; however, he found no real education there—only more aggressive propaganda than he had faced in school. As soon as he turned 18, he made the firm decision to escape.

🔹 18-year-old Ihor, who, while still a minor, was forced into a Russian military-style camp. There, he was subjected to combat training and taught to operate drones. Camp instructors repeatedly told the children from occupied territories: “You are here to learn how to kill.”

All rescued children are currently staying at Save Ukraine’s Hope and Healing Centers, where they receive psychological support, assistance with documentation, safe housing, and care—everything they need to recover from the horrors of war and begin dreaming again.

Thanks to Save Ukraine, more than 1,000 children have already been brought back from occupation. Yet thousands more are still waiting for their path home.