19 children and teenagers were rescued from occupation

Last week, the Save Ukraine team rescued 19 children and teenagers from the occupation.

This mission was made possible thanks to the support of partners as part of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative. Each of these children endured pressure, intimidation, and attempts to erase their Ukrainian identity. But the worst is now behind them.

Among those rescued:

🔹 Viktor, 17, was blackmailed into attending a Russian school and later a college. There, teenagers were taught how to disassemble assault rifles and handle grenades and drones. The children were also forced to collect aid for Russian soldiers, write letters to them at the front, and wear Russian symbols.

🔹 Valeriia, 9, was forced to attend an occupation-run school where the Ukrainian language was completely banned. She was forcibly involved in Russian propaganda movements and made to sing the Russian national anthem and write letters to Russian soldiers.

🔹 Mykhailo, 18, was brutally beaten by Russian occupiers when he was still a child after being accused of “espionage.” To force him to attend an occupation-run school, his family was threatened with the termination of his mother’s parental rights. Ukrainian books were publicly burned at the school, and teenagers were taught how to operate drones. Later, Mykhailo was forcibly registered for military service, placing him at real risk of being sent to the front with the Russian army.

For these children and 16 others, the occupation is now behind them. Today, they are safe and undergoing reintegration at the Hope and Recovery centres. They are receiving psychological support and assistance with restoring their documents so they can build their futures in a free Ukraine.

Unfortunately, thousands of Ukrainian children remain under occupation. Russia is trying to erase their identity, impose its own propaganda, and turn children into weapons. That is why our fight for every child continues.

We thank our partners, Tatjana Kiel, We Are All Ukrainians, and the Joint Centre for Coordination of Search and Release, for their support and cooperation. Together, we are bringing Ukrainian children home.

Every child has the right to a safe childhood and a future in a free Ukraine. Share these stories so the world does not forget Ukrainian children living under occupation.