After Russian forces occupied his hometown in the Donetsk region, everyday life became dangerous. Maksym bought a second phone. One was “clean” — the one he showed at checkpoints. It had neutral news, games, and dozens of photos of his cat. The other one was real — the one he used to stay in touch with people helping Ukraine resist.

He rarely talks about that time. “It felt like life was on pause,” he says. But he chose not to stay passive.

One day, he opened an old Google account. It automatically restored his history — searches, YouTube videos, Ukrainian news.

In occupied territories, that alone can get you detained by the FSB. It took him hours to delete everything, his hands shaking the whole time. That’s when he realized: he couldn’t stay.

Connection in the city was getting worse every day. Even VPNs often didn’t work. But somehow, he came across a video about Save Ukraine.

His first reaction was doubt.

“I thought they would abandon me. Leave me at a checkpoint. I had almost no money — where would I even go?” Maksym recalls. But he had no real alternative. So he sent a message.

Our rescue team planned a route that made it possible for him to leave with just $250. The hardest part was filtration. Maksym stayed focused. Calm. Before leaving, he deliberately consumed only Russian news and spoke only Russian — so nothing would give him away.

Days without sleep. Constant paranoia. “What if they notice me? What if I’m being followed?” He deleted every message with coordinators immediately after reading it.

And then — Ukraine.

“When I saw our people and heard Ukrainian spoken out loud, not in whispers, I knew — I made it,” he says.

Today, Maksym is safe. He studies at a Ukrainian university, has new friends, and is rebuilding his life.

But thousands of children and teenagers are still there — under occupation, under pressure, and under constant risk.

Every rescue like Maksym’s is complex, risky — and only possible thanks to support.

Support our work and help bring more children home. Every dollar matters.