Latest news with #UkrainianChildRightsNetwork
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine brings back two teenagers subjected to constant pressure and violence from occupation
Ukraine has brought back two teenagers from the territories temporarily occupied by Russia. The Russians threatened to mobilise the 18-year-old boy into their army, and the 17-year-old girl was forcibly taken to Russia. Source: Bring Kids Back UA initiative Details: The hometown of 17-year-old Oksana was occupied by the Russians in 2014. Then she and her mother were forcibly taken to Russia. There, the girl was constantly humiliated because of her Ukrainian heritage: she was not only bullied at school but also repeatedly beaten. "Despite the daily pressure and violence, Oksana did not lose her desire to return to Ukraine. She tried several times to get home on her own, and during her last attempt, she spent four days on the road without food. After that, Oksana turned for help to the team of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, which helped to develop a safe route and draw up all the necessary documents," the statement said. Today, the girl is already in Ukraine and plans to enter a higher education institution. Another teenager who was brought back to Ukraine is 18-year-old Andrii. "The constant moral pressure was accompanied by a real threat of mobilisation into the Russian army. Russian soldiers were watching the boy's house and harassing him. The fact that one day he could be forced to fight against his own homeland was the biggest fear and motivation to leave," the human rights activists explain. Andrii tried to escape on his own several times but to no avail. His sister managed to escape from the occupation earlier, and it was she who advised her brother to contact the Ukrainian Child Rights Network. "This time, the attempt was successful: our team of partners made a safe route and helped the boy cross the border. Now Andrii is safe on the territory controlled by Ukraine, next to his sister," the statement said. According to rough estimates by human rights activists, there are currently about 1.5 million Ukrainian children in the Russian-occupied territories. Background: Earlier, a four-year-old girl was rescued from the occupied territories. In three years, the girl met her father for the first time. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Four-year-old girl reunited with father after evacuation from Russian-occupied territory
Ukrainian human rights activists have assisted a four-year-old girl in evacuating from temporarily Russian-occupied territory and reuniting with her father. The child had been living in a city captured by Russia since the start of the full-scale war, where she remained with her grandmother despite her father's persistent but unsuccessful efforts to evacuate them. Source: Daria Zarivna, Chief Operating Officer of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative Quote: "Little Marichka was only one year old when the full-scale war began. She was with her grandmother in a city that came under Russian occupation during the first days of the invasion. Her childhood, which should have been the happiest time in her life, turned into a nightmare due to the lack of water and electricity, constant shelling and the threat of deportation by the occupation authorities." Details:The child's father, who was on territory controlled by Ukraine, had tried to arrange evacuation himself for a long time, but to no avail. "Eventually, he reached out to the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, which helped organise a safe route and accompanied the child until she was reunited with her father," Zarivna noted. As of March 2025, a total of 1,247 children have been brought back to Ukraine. At the same time, at least 1.6 million children are still living under Russian occupation. Background: Earlier, it was reported that a 16-year-old Ukrainian teenager had been abducted by Russian forces from Kherson and sent to a so-called "re-education camp". The boy openly resisted and at one point took down the Russian flag from a flagpole and replaced it with his underwear. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
Russian troops killed mother in front of her son: details of two Ukrainian children rescued from occupation
Ukraine has successfully brought back two children from territories temporarily occupied by Russia. The children are a girl, and an 11-year-old boy whose mother was killed by Russian troops. Source: Bring Kids Back UA, an initiative to recover deported children Details: Eleven-year-old Oleksandr, whose mother was killed by Russian soldiers in front of him in the spring of 2022, was rescued from the occupied regions. The boy was left orphaned. Oleksandr was taken into care by a female relative in order to prevent him from being placed in an orphanage. However, he was constantly at risk of deportation. Eventually, the woman turned to the Ukrainian Child Rights Network for help with his evacuation. "After a long and difficult journey, Sasha [short for Oleksandr] is finally safe on the territory controlled by Ukraine. Now he is looking for a loving family that can ensure proper care and support," Bring Kids Back UA says. In addition, a woman and her daughter, who found themselves in extremely difficult circumstances, were evacuated from the occupied territory. "It took a lot of effort to get home, especially as the occupation authorities kept changing the rules for crossing the border. But the most important thing is that they are now safe and can begin building a new life," the initiative said. As of March 2025, a total of 1,247 children have been brought back to Ukraine from Russian-occupied territories. Human rights activists estimate that at least 1.6 million children remain under Russian control. Background: Earlier, Ukrainska Pravda. Zhyttia (Life) shared the story of 16-year-old Vlad, who was abducted from Kherson by Russian troops and sent to a so-called "re-education camp". The boy expressed his resistance in every possible way, including once removing the Russian flag from a flagpole and replacing it with his underwear. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Yahoo
Two siblings brought back to Ukraine from Russian occupation
Two children – Inna and Anton – who had spent their entire lives under Russian occupation have been brought back to the Ukraine-controlled territory. The siblings' hometown was seized by Russian forces in 2014. Source: Andrii Yermak, Head of the Ukrainian President's Office, on Telegram Details: Yermak said that the children were raised by their grandmother after their father was killed and their mother was deprived of parental rights. Quote: "After the full-scale invasion began, the grandmother decided they needed to leave their hometown, which was becoming increasingly dangerous. Unable to reach Ukrainian-controlled territory immediately, the family went to relatives in Russia. However, they continued searching for a way back home, where the children's uncle was waiting for them. Today, they are finally home, in their own country." Details: The rescue mission was organised by the Ukrainian Child Rights Network. Background: Ukraine managed to bring back five children of different ages – from 18 months to 18 years old – from the temporarily occupied territories of Luhansk, Donetsk and part of Kherson oblasts to the Ukraine-controlled territory. Support UP or become our patron!
