“Mom, will you come to get me? That’s what I wished for on New Year’s,” Alisa couldn’t hold back her excitement as she spoke to her mom via video call before the challenging journey ahead.

Alisa (name changed) hadn’t seen her mother, Tamila, for almost three years. Tamila serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and just a month before the full-scale invasion, her unit was relocated to another region. Alisa stayed behind with her grandmother in their home in the south, occupied in February 2022.

The occupiers repeatedly searched their house, looking for Tamila. They pointed weapons at the child and forced her to attend a Russian school. Alisa’s grandmother did everything she could to protect her granddaughter—making up stories and hiding important documents. Meanwhile, Tamila spent all her time trying to find a way to rescue her daughter from occupation.

Alisa and Tamila’s New Year’s wish came true. Thanks to the efforts of Save Ukraine and our partners, Alisa is now reunited with her mom. They met in Ukraine just before Christmas.
Today, we share the details of this incredible story of separation and rescue in a new video.