Ukraine brings back 20-year-old youth from occupied Crimea
Another young Ukrainian has managed to escape occupation under President Zelensky’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative. He is 20 years old.
As reported by Censor.NET, the Head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, reported this.
When Russia occupied Crimea, the young man was only 11. Since then, he had lived in an environment where any display of Ukrainian identity was punished.
Tried to avoid conscription into the Russian army
Last year, the occupation authorities began pressuring him: first summoning him for a "medical examination," then issuing a draft notice for the Russian army. Police came to his home, interrogated him, imposed fines, and forced him to sign a "travel restriction order." He had to work unofficially to support his family while avoiding conscription.
Help from a friend in Ukraine
He was rescued thanks to a friend living in Ukrainian-controlled territory. She reached out to experts from the Ukrainian Child Rights Network for help. Together with volunteers, they carried out a complex but successful operation to bring him home.
The young man is now safe. He could not hide his emotions as he saw the Ukrainian flag for the first time in nine years, heard his native language, and could finally speak it freely.
"I’m grateful to our partners from the Ukrainian Child Rights Network for their help in this rescue. We are fulfilling the President’s mission — to bring all Ukrainian children back home," Yermak concluded.
