Our team managed to return 6 Ukrainian children with their families from the temporarily occupied territory, thanks to joint efforts with the Charity Fund Humanity.

Before the occupation, Nataliia and her husband had their greenhouse, from which the whole family lived. But after February 24, 2024, life turned into hell. People in the village were intimidated and demanded to obtain Russian passports and to send their children to a Russian school. Those who disagreed were deported. You had to go to the city and sell seeds to earn money. At the checkpoint, the occupiers constantly checked the phone to find out if there was a telegram. Because her daughter Anzhelika refused to write letters to the Russian military and sing songs in Russian, the occupiers regularly invited Nataliia to a conversation.

Those who opposed the new government were often forced to leave their hometown. Nataliia’s fellow villager refused to cooperate and was sent on foot to the territory controlled by Ukraine, given only a bottle of water.

Living in such an environment became unbearable, and Nataliia decided to leave.

Yuliia alone raises Yehor, who has been sick since birth. His father separated when his son was still a baby. Shortly before the war, Yehor fell ill, so the boy did not have time to issue a Ukrainian passport. It was scary for the family when their village was occupied for a few days. Yuliia tried not to go anywhere. There were hardly any people walking on the streets. Drones were flying all the time over their house, and they were constantly shooting them down. However, the woman did not risk going down into the cellar. She was afraid that they would be buried and no one would find them. They did not take humanitarian aid from the Russians, nor did they take money. They survived on what their friends gave them. Due to the constant stress, Yuliia also started to get sick, so she decided that she couldn’t live like this any longer. She had to leave.

The stories of Ukrainians from the occupation are so different. Yet, at the same time, they resemble one another. People’s lives changed from quiet and peaceful to lives full of horrors and fears in a moment. Russians took a happy childhood from our children, and these children especially suffer in the occupation. The highest reward for us is to see the rescued children with happy smiles.

We have returned 301 children to Ukraine from Russia and the occupation. However, our work’s not done yet. Thousands of Ukrainian children remain under occupation or on the territory of Russia. And we have to join forces to save them.

P.S. For security, the names of the characters have been changed.