Four Ukrainian children brought back from occupation, including brothers persecuted over relatives in Ukrainian forces

Four children and teenagers have been brought back from temporarily occupied territories to government-controlled Ukraine. They spent part of their lives in isolation but have now been reunited with their families after a long separation.

Source: Bring Kids Back UA, a Ukrainian government-led effort to bring Ukrainian children home from temporarily Russian-occupied territories

Details: Among those rescued are 9-year-old Bohdan and 14-year-old Artem, who lived with their mother and grandfather under constant pressure from the occupation authorities. According to the organisers of the evacuation, the family was persecuted because some of their relatives serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The boys spent most of their lives under occupation and barely remember what it is like to live without fear. When leaving the occupied territory, the family decided not to leave behind their dog, Lucky, who had become an important source of support for the children, and evacuated together with their pet.

Relatives welcomed the family upon their arrival in government-controlled Ukraine, where they were finally reunited after a prolonged separation.

Seventeen-year-old Mariia and her mother were also brought back from temporarily occupied territory. Since the start of the full-scale war, they had lived in isolation, and the teenager had been deprived of normal social interaction and social life for more than four years.

The family hesitated for a long time before deciding to leave, but ultimately concluded that they could not delay any longer. Mariia dreams of completing her education at a Ukrainian school and enrolling at university.

After years apart, she was also able to reunite with her grandfather, who had remained in government-controlled Ukraine all that time.

Another rescued teenager is 16-year-old Serhii, who returned together with his mother. The family spent almost a year preparing for the evacuation.

One of the main reasons for leaving was the mother's fear that her son could be forcibly conscripted into Russian forces once he reached 18. A safe route was developed for them, enabling them to leave the occupied territory.

All of the families now face a period of adaptation to their new lives. They will receive psychological and social support necessary for reintegration.

The evacuation was carried out under the Bring Kids Back UA initiative with the support of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network and the volunteer initiative Liudianist.

"Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children and young people remain under Russian control. Russia is systematically creating conditions that restrict freedom of choice, increase pressure and make it more difficult to leave. We will not stop until every Ukrainian child returns home," the evacuation organisers said.

Background: Earlier, two teenagers were brought back to Ukraine from Russian occupation after searching for ways to leave as soon as they reached 18.

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