Three more children have been successfully returned by our team from temporarily occupied territories. This concludes our 14th rescue mission, during which we saved a total of 14 children, seven of whom are orphans without parental care.

One of them is 8-year-old Yelisey, who had lived with his grandmother in the occupied part of the Kherson region before the full-scale invasion. His mother resided in Odesa. Unfortunately, when his grandmother passed away, the occupying authorities immediately placed the child in an orphanage. Due to health reasons, his mother couldn’t travel to him, so her cousin accompanied him. However, Russian authorities denied the return of the child without any explanation, despite having all the necessary documents.

Prompt action was necessary as if a child spends six months on Russian-controlled territory without parental care, they may be given a status allowing placement in a Russian family or another form of arrangement. Our team did everything possible to ensure the mother received the required medical assistance and could bring her child back from the occupied territory.

The woman had to endure long-winded interrogations by the FSB, interviews, and overcome obstacles. Fortunately, she succeeded in getting back her son from the orphanage.

Alongside Yelisey, two 18-year-old brothers, Andriy and Mykhailo, also returned to Ukraine. Both were orphaned and raised in a foster family on the occupied territory before reaching adulthood. Upon turning 18, they realized that the occupying authorities would soon force them to fight against their own Ukrainian people. In Ukraine, both were written down as missing persons.

All three boys are now safe. The children await recovery and a return to normal life. As of today, the Save Ukraine team has brought back 226 children who fell under the influence of Russian authorities after February 24, 2022.