Three boys and mother are rescued from the occupied territory

As part of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative, three boys — Ihor*, Andrii* and Dmytro* — were brought back from temporarily occupied territory together with their mother through the joint efforts of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network and Humanity Funds.

At the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the boys were living with their parents in their hometown, which was soon occupied by Russian forces. From then on, the family lived under constant restrictions and pressure from the occupation authorities.

While under occupation, Andrii attended kindergarten, and Dmytro was in the sixth grade at a local school. According to their mother, children in educational institutions were forced to sing the Russian national anthem, and the curricula were filled with Russian propaganda.

Russia uses education in temporarily occupied territories as a tool to influence Ukrainian children, imposing its own narratives and systematically eroding their Ukrainian identity.

The family also faced pressure related to forced passportization. The occupation authorities demanded that the parents obtain Russian passports. According to their mother, the situation in their hometown remains difficult.

Specialists from the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, together with Humanity Funds, helped organize the family’s safe departure from the occupied territory.

Today, Ihor, Andrii and Dmytro are together with their mother in territory controlled by Ukraine.

Ahead of them lies a process of adaptation and reintegration, with the opportunity to continue their education in the Ukrainian educational system and build their future free from pressure by the occupation authorities.

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children remain under Russian control. We continue our work to ensure that every child can receive the assistance they need and return home safely.

*Names have been changed for security reasons.

The return was made possible with the support of the Federal Government of Germany through the project “JOFU: Joining Forces for Child Protection in Ukraine,” implemented by the Ukrainian Child Rights Network in cooperation with the Joining Forces consortium and funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.