As part of President of Ukraine’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative, 17 more Ukrainian children and teenagers have been returned from territories occupied by Russia.
According to Andriy Yermak, Head of the President’s Office, one 17-year-old boy was forcibly sent by the occupiers to a military camp—trenches, drill exercises, weapons, drones—all under the control of Russian forces and without parental consent.
Another 17-year-old was detained during a home search: his equipment was confiscated, he was interrogated about his relatives in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and Russian forces repeatedly threatened his family.
A 7-year-old boy had to be hidden at home by his grandparents because the so-called authorities were preparing to take him away.
A 12-year-old girl and her 9-year-old brother faced daily bullying at school, hearing threats that they “should be killed because they are Ukrainian.”
“Today all these children are finally home—in safety, in a free Ukraine. They are receiving assistance, restoring documents, and returning to peaceful life,” Yermak said.
He expressed gratitude to the teams at Save Ukraine, Helping to Leave, the Joint Center of the SSU for coordinating the search and release of prisoners of war and unlawfully detained persons due to Russia’s armed aggression, and all partners assisting in bringing Ukrainian children home.
