Our team, in close collaboration with Bring Kids Back UA, has helped another 15 Ukrainian children escape from the Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson Oblasts. To date, we have successfully returned 538 children!

Each rescued child’s story is heartbreaking and deserves to be heard.

🔹Vitalina was close to giving birth when the Russian forces entered her village. But she lacked the means to do so, and had no choice but to become a mother under occupation. To make sure that the Russians don’t take her newborn, Vitalina and her son had to accept Russian passports.

🔹Russians compelled Marichka to attend a Russian school in occupied territory, speak Russian only, and recite poems glorifying the aggressor-state. When she turned 18, the Russians issued an ultimatum: either “become Russian” or “take your belongings and walk to Ukraine on foot.”

🔹When the Russian army captured Sasha’s hometown, they instantly
seized the children’s camp where her mother worked. The occupiers pressured Sasha’s mother to return to work and forced Sasha to read Russian propaganda-filled books.

🔹Olena’s home was completely submerged after the Russians destroyed the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant. All her family’s possessions and their pets were lost underwater. Olena still remembers the horrifying cries of the helpless animals trying to survive. She decided to leave for the sake of her son, who was slipping into depression.

🔹Kyrylo was handed a draft notice at just 17 years old. Russian soldiers entered his home unannounced and informed him that, as a newly minted “citizen” of Russia, he was now expected to serve in their army.

🔹Kateryna’s son was also at risk of being conscripted into the Russian army. Determined to save him, she did everything possible to take him to Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Now, all these children and their families are safe, receiving the necessary care at our centers.

We are deeply grateful to #WeAreAllUkrainians, Ron Wahid, the Humanity Foundation, and our steadfast partner, the Joint Coordination Center for the Search and Release of Prisoners and Illegally Detained Persons, for their invaluable support in rescuing these children.