Another group of Ukrainian children and adolescents — former students of the Novopetrivska Special School in the Mykolaiv region, who were deported to Russia at the beginning of the full-scale invasion — were returned as part of the initiative of the President of Ukraine Bring Kids Back UA with the support of the Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine.
Points of attention
- Ukraine successfully returned a group of children from a special school in the Mykolaiv region from Russia through the Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
- The school principal played a crucial role in safeguarding the children's safety and preventing their forced relocation to occupied territory.
- Russian military forces deported the children through occupied Crimea, but thanks to collaborative efforts, they were safely returned to Ukraine with the help of Moldova.
Ukraine returns former students of Novopetrivska special school in Mykolaiv region from Russia
During the occupation of part of the Mykolaiv region in 2022, Russian military deported children from the Novopetrivska Special School — among them were orphans and children deprived of parental care.
The school principal fought for the safety of her students until the very end. She refused to be forcibly “relocated” to occupied Crimea and sought any way to evacuate the children to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
But when the occupiers learned of her attempts, they came with threats and an armed unit of the Russian National Guard in armored vehicles like the Tiger.
The children were forcibly transported — first to the left bank of the Kherson region, then through occupied Crimea, and later by train to the Russian city of Anapa.
Thanks to the joint efforts of Ukrainian state institutions and international partners, the children, together with their accompanying persons, were safely returned to Ukraine through the territory of Moldova.
Today they are home — safe, under the care of specialists who help them adapt, re-integrate, restore their documents, and start a new peaceful life.
To learn more about Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children, watch the documentary "Damaged Childhood," created by Ukrainian independent media and video production company Online.UA:
