Ukrainian children brought back from occupation say route to school was targeted by Russian drones

A large group of children and teenagers have been brought back to Ukraine from Russian-occupied territory, including a teenager forced to undergo military training and two boys whose parents were pressured to give money "for the needs of the Russian army".

Source: Bring Kids Back UA; Save Ukraine humanitarian organisation

Details: Among the group of children brought back to Ukrainian-controlled territory are siblings Mykola, 16, Tetiana, 11, and Anzhelika, 7. Their father is a serviceman. The Russians threatened to take the children away after their mother refused to send them to a Russian school. When the family travelled abroad, they were questioned for hours and forced to disclose their father's whereabouts.

While they were living under occupation, Kyrylo, 11, and Arsen, 9, were forced to attend Russian propaganda classes, known as "Conversations about Important Things", several times a week at school. Their parents were also asked for money "for the needs of the Russian army". When the family refused, a teacher began bullying the children and threatened to have them removed from their family.

Taras, 17, is now safe in Ukrainian-controlled territory too. He has spent most of his life under occupation. He was subjected to propaganda and forced to undergo military training, where he was taught to throw grenades and dismantle weapons and made to train in trench conditions.

The mother of 13-year-old Olesia was summoned to the village council and pressured to enrol her daughter in a Russian school, even though Russian troops would regularly drop drones on the route to the school. After she refused, representatives of the so-called "military police" visited the family. They accused Olesia's mother of "adjusting fire" by feeding information to the Ukrainian forces and threatened to take her "to the basement", meaning a makeshift detention centre set up by the Russian forces.

Save Ukraine told Ukrainska Pravda.Zhyttia (Life) that 18 children were brought back in this operation. They are now receiving psychological and humanitarian support.

Background: On 4 December, US First Lady Melania Trump said that seven Ukrainian children abducted by Russia have been brought back to their families.

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