Another group of Ukrainian children who were recently under occupation is now safely back in Ukraine. Thanks to the Save Ukraine team — and with the support of all partners united through the Bring Kids Back UA initiative — these children have been rescued and given a chance at freedom and a future in their homeland.
⠀
Among those saved are several 17-year-old boys who endured interrogations, home raids, and persecution at the hands of Russian occupiers.
⠀
One of them, Vladyslav, was reported to the FSB for refusing to attend a Russian school. Police came to their home and conducted a search. His mother was summoned to the station, where she was threatened with losing parental rights if her son didn’t begin studying under the Russian curriculum.
⠀
Serhii and Mykyta were interrogated by armed Russian soldiers who accused them of cooperating with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. One of their friends was tortured to death. A close female friend of theirs was raped.
⠀
Yaroslav became a target because of his family: both his father and brother serve in the Ukrainian military. Russian forces stormed their home, searched the premises, and threatened to kill them. Yaroslav tried to hide but was eventually found and interrogated.
⠀
Three-year-old Marusia hardly remembers Ukraine — she was just six months old at the start of the full-scale invasion. But she already knows what humiliation and physical abuse feel like: she was beaten at kindergarten for speaking Ukrainian, the language her mother sang lullabies in. After months of mistreatment, she began to stutter and now needs help from a qualified specialist.
⠀
Thankfully, Marusia — like the rest of the children — is now safe.
All the rescued children are receiving full support from Save Ukraine: humanitarian aid, housing, help with restoring documents, and ongoing care from case managers and psychologists. In our Hope and Recovery centers, they are gradually healing, receiving care, and adapting to a new life.
⠀
👉 Join our mission to save lives – Donate here!
⠀
We thank our partners — @weareallukrainians2022, @humanitynk, Reload Love, and the Joint Center for the Coordination of the Search and Release of Prisoners of War and Unlawfully Detained Persons — for their help in this life-saving mission.
⠀
All children’s names have been changed for their safety.