7 Ukrainian children and teenagers were rescued from occupation by the Save Ukraine team last week. This was made possible thanks to the support of @klitschko, @tatjanakiel from @weareallukrainians2022, the Humanity Funds, and the Unified Center for Coordination of Search and Release. Each of these stories is a chronicle of survival under constant terror, where childhood was attempted to be replaced by fear and Russian propaganda.

Among those rescued:

17-year-old Solomiya, whose home was raided by security forces who checked gadgets while pointing weapons at the girl’s mother. FSB agents threatened to take the woman’s daughter to an orphanage and send the mother herself “to the basement.” After the experience, Solomiya began to suffer from panic attacks and severe insomnia.

18-year-old Artem, who was handcuffed to a radiator by military police and tortured for two hours for answering in Ukrainian. The guy was beaten with rubber batons in the stomach and legs, had plastic zip ties tightened on his hands, and was threatened with death while being called a “khokhol.”

18-year-old Kostya, who from childhood endured religious persecution of his Protestant community and faced humiliation from teachers at school because of his faith. The guy was forced to register for military service and pass ideological tests about his attitude toward the Russian army, and was soon to be mobilized for conscript service.

18-year-old Ostap, who at school many times heard threats from a teacher who collaborated with the secret services. The so-called “educator” openly told the students: “I can make any of you simply disappear.” The young man witnessed the bullying of other children for their pro-Ukrainian position several times.

Currently, all those rescued are in our Hope and Healing Centers, where they receive psychological support, help with documents, housing, and sincere care. We are doing everything so they finally feel safe and begin to build plans for a free future.

Thanks to Save Ukraine, more than 1,000 children have already been returned home. But thousands of others are still waiting for rescue.