39 children and young Ukrainians have been rescued from occupied territories: they were forced to sing Russian national anthem and were being trained for service in Russian army
Last week, 39 Ukrainian children and young people were successfully evacuated from the temporarily occupied territories. Among them was a 14-year-old boy who had been threatened with being taken away from his family for refusing to attend a school run by the occupying forces, as well as two 21-year-old men who had been targeted for conscription into the Russian army.
According to Censor.NET, this was revealed by Mykola Kuleba, head of the Save Ukraine organisation. The return took place with the support of partners as part of the presidential initiative ‘Bring Kids Back UA’.
A 14-year-old boy was threatened with being taken away from his family
According to Kuleba, Russian soldiers wearing balaclavas threatened to take 14-year-old Serhiy away from his family if he did not attend the school run by the occupying forces.
There, the boy was forced to learn the Russian version of history and sing the Russian Federation’s national anthem. According to Kuleba, the child was threatened with being placed under the supervision of social services for mentioning Ukraine.
A Russian passport, a medical examination and a call-up notice
Among those who managed to leave was 21-year-old Viktor. According to Kuleba, armed Russian soldiers regularly came to his home to carry out searches and accused him of spying.
In the end, he was forced to obtain a Russian passport, along with which he was issued a referral to a medical board for subsequent service in the Russian Armed Forces.
Another 21-year-old Ukrainian, Mykola, encountered militarisation whilst studying. Students were forced to attend meetings with Russian military personnel and were taught how to operate drones. After graduating from university, the young man received a call-up notice.
Save Ukraine: over 1,500 children have already been returned from the occupied territories
The Ukrainians who have now returned are undergoing rehabilitation at the ‘Hope and Recovery’ centres, where they receive psychological support, assistance with paperwork and accommodation.
According to Save Ukraine, the organisation has so far helped to bring back more than 1,500 Ukrainian children from the occupied territories.
"Thousands of children are still living under occupation, where the enemy is trying to erase their identity and turn them into weapons. That is why our fight for each and every one of them continues," Kuleba emphasised.
