Another 15 children brought back to Ukraine from temporarily occupied territories

A total of 15 children have been brought back to Ukrainian-controlled territory from the temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts.

Source: Mykola Kuleba, the founder of the charitable organisation Save Ukraine

Details: He emphasised that each story of a rescued child is heartbreaking and deserves individual attention.

The first story is about a young mother, Vitalina. She was in the final stages of pregnancy when the Russians entered her village. She was forced to give birth under occupation and obtain Russian documents to prevent her child from being taken away.

Additionally, Marichka was also brought back to Ukrainian-controlled territory. The Russians had forced her to attend a Russian school, where she was required to speak only Russian and recite poems about the "greatness of Russia".

"When the girl turned 18, the Russians gave her an ultimatum: either you become 'Russian', or 'take water and walk to Ukraine on foot'," recounts Mykola Kuleba, sharing her story.

Read also: Six more children brought back from Russian occupation

Another woman who was brought back is Olena. Her home was flooded after the explosion of the Kakhovka Dam. Everything her parents had worked for, as well as their pets, were submerged. Olena decided to leave the occupation for the sake of her son, who had begun falling into depression.

Children in the occupied territories faced the threat of forced militarisation. For example, Kyrylo was handed a draft notice at the age of 17. 

A similar situation occurred with Kateryna – her son was also threatened with being drafted into the Russian army.

A girl named Sasha was also brought back from the occupation. From the first days of the occupation of her hometown, the Russians took over the children’s camp where her mother worked. They forced her to return to her job, while Sasha was made to read Russian propaganda books.

Read also: Ukraine brings back six more children from Russian-occupied territories

In total, since the beginning of the invasion, the Save Ukraine charity has managed to bring back 538 children.

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