"Didn't step outside for nearly three years": Nine children brought back from Russian-occupied territories
Ukraine has brought back nine more children from territories temporarily occupied by Russia. Their families have endured severe hardship.
Source: Bring Kids Back UA and Save Ukraine
Details: Among those rescued were sisters Ilona and Tamila (names changed for safety reasons). For nearly three years, the girls did not leave their home or speak with other children, as their school and kindergarten were destroyed within the first six months of the full-scale invasion.
Their childhood was overshadowed by constant bombardments, the movement of armoured vehicles and encounters with drunk Russian soldiers roaming the streets.
Seventeen-year-old Yevheniia nearly died due to the lack of proper medical care in the occupied territories – ambulances no longer responded to calls, and hospitals lacked diagnostic equipment.
"As a result, she was only correctly diagnosed during an emergency surgery. It is unclear whether she would have survived if she had made it to the operating table just a few hours later," the team involved in the children's return said.
Ten-year-old Artem and his mother were locked in a basement by Russian soldiers in the middle of the night while his father was beaten in another room – all because he had tried to protect his wife from abuse by a soldier.
"Since that incident, the boy often cried and couldn't sleep at night. He was forced to wear a Russian military cap at school, sing the Russian anthem and shout 'Glory to Russia', and the police were called when he said 'Glory to Ukraine'," the Bring Kids Back UA and Save Ukraine teams noted.
Fifteen-year-old Khrystyna ended up in complete information isolation and was unable to continue her education. She could not attend online classes at her Ukrainian school because the Russians jammed communication signals, and her mother refused to send her to a Russian school.
Background: Earlier, Ukraine had also managed to bring back a 15-year-old boy from Russian occupation who had long dreamed of reuniting with his father.
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