We’ve successfully returned 4 Ukrainian children home along with their families from temporarily occupied territories.

During the occupation, two of these children attended online classes in a Ukrainian school while Russian raids constantly occurred in their village. The mother of these young Ukrainians had been watching out the window during such sessions to ensure that Russian soldiers couldn’t invade their homes. Eventually, the Russian military personnel began threatening the parents, threatening that they would take away their children, take their houses, and deport them. Consequently, the family was forced to enroll the children in a Russian school.

At school, “new” Ukrainian pupils were required to wrap themselves in the Russian flag and wear it until the end of classes. When some children got tired and asked to remove it, the teacher agreed. However, moments later, an armed Russian soldier quarreled with the children over their “dislike for Russia.” In the school halls, children constantly encountered such armed soldiers standing under the classrooms, taking 10-year-old Ukrainians for “disciplinary talks” over careless Ukrainian “please” in class. Luckily, the children attended the Russian school for only 4 days before our rescuers took the family away.

Now, the families have crossed the border of Ukraine and are safe. They face psychological recovery and a gradual return to regular life.

In total, the Save Ukraine team has already brought back 204 children from Russia and temporarily occupied territories.