They pressured Andriy to disclose information about the grain reserves at the company where he worked as an agronomist. The man faced numerous threats, risking being thrown into the basement and having his home searched. They got searching including his children’s rooms. All this is because the owner of the agro firm refused to register the business under Russian laws. 

The first searches took place in January 202. That time Rosgvardia officers came to the Koroletsky house that the family had purchased shortly before the beginning of the full-scale war. They initially demanded documents and the phone from the owner. They were furious that the phone turned out to be clean. However, how reliable can a gadget be if Andriy had bought it just two weeks ago, on the eve of the new year?

Armed Rosgvardia officers proceeded to check the rooms, entering the children’s room. When Milana’s daughter saw a soldier with a gun in her bedroom, she paled in fear. The Russian offered the girl a pistol as a gift to ease her fear But her mother barely persuaded them not to do so, as constant checks could lead to trouble.

The agribusiness where Andriy worked was indeed seized by the Russians in the spring of 2023. On a March day, military forces stormed the farm, broke locks, took documents, and ripped off everything. Employees weren’t even allowed to take their own cars. They were only given a month to reach an agreement with the new owner.

Most workers, including Andriy, refused to cooperate. However, those who agreed to work for the occupiers disclosed information to the Russians about everyone’s activities and knowledge. The pressure on Andriy and his family intensified as the occupiers sought detailed information about grain supply and logistics. The Russians were constantly looking for ways to catch him in a mistake.

They fabricated a story, accusing him of “illegally sowing fields.” The occupiers sent a car for him, taking him in an unknown direction. It was then that Andriy prayed for the first time in his life, hoping to be released and returned home.

Miraculously, they let him go home. Even without his turn to reach the basement. However, after that, Andriy’s wife, Natalia, heard strange cars approaching their yard every evening and night, stopping for extended periods. No one dared to go outside to check what was happening. The family lived in constant fear.

The daytime offered no respite either. They faced inspections, inquiries about local former Joint Forces Operation participants, and pressure to have their children obtain Russian documents and attend Russian schools. Throughout this time, 16-year-old Bohdan and 10-year-old Milana studied online at a Ukrainian school. While the children had their lessons, their mother stood guard by the window, watching for any unannounced military visits. And those visits always happened without knocking.

In the summer of 2023, a representative of the occupational authority in their community visited them and promised significant problems for the children in case they still didn’t attend Russian schools. He explicitly stated, “Those who do not study in Russian schools and children who do not accept Russian citizenship will be deported as foreigners.”

For the first four days, the children attended the Russian school. It was located 15 km away in another village, requiring them to leave very early for the school bus. By autumn, it was already dark at that time. The school building housed armed military personnel with knives, pistols, and sprays. In each classroom, the Russian coat of arms, a tricolor flag, and a portrait of Putin adorned the walls. On each desk, there were also Russian flags for the children to wrap themselves in during lessons.

Once, Milana’s classmate asked the teacher in Ukrainian language if she could go out to the restroom. The teacher requested the phrase to be repeated in Russian, but the child couldn’t because she didn’t know the Russian language. The fourth-grader was then taken to a military guard who started shouting and threatening the child. After that incident, the classmate didn’t speak to anyone for the rest of the school day, and only cried during breaks. Milana’s brother, Bohdan, also received criticism for not knowing Russia. He was being told to learn the language quickly.

The school lacked bomb shelters. During parent meetings, the occupational authority announced that in case of shelling, they would take the children to the stadium and instruct them to lie face down on the ground and cover themselves with their hands. This safety measure was not appreciated by Andriy and Natalia, to say the least. However, they had little choice.

The parents “promised” the community leadership to arrange the documents in the first days of schooling. This lie was intended to save time until they could escape the occupation. The family made this difficult decision as there were no options to peacefully live at home without documents. Besides, Bohdan still didn’t have a Ukrainian passport, as he turned 14 when their region was already occupied. Taking a Russian passport would immediately register him with the Russian military authorities.

The Koroletsky family learned about Save Ukraine from their relatives, whom our team had previously helped in leaving.

At the Ukrainian border, Milana was overjoyed to see the blue and yellow flag and a Ukrainian border guard. She asked the soldier to hug her. The entire family cried realizing that everything was behind them. Due to constant stress and fear, Bohdan developed memory lapses. He’s unable to recall some events during the occupation. Natalia, his mother, used to speak quietly with her brother in Ukraine at first.

The whole family needs the help of a psychologist after what they’ve been through. Recovery and rebuilding their lives will take a long time But the main thing in this story is that the process has indeed begun. The family is safe, which means each of them has a chance for a happy future. 

P.S. The names of the heroes have been changed for safety reasons.