As part of the initiative of the President of Ukraine Bring Kids Back UA, through the joint efforts of the Ukrainian Network for Children's Rights and the volunteer initiative "Humanity", we managed to return two more young people - Anton and Viktor.
Points of attention
- President of Ukraine's Bring Kids Back UA initiative aims to return children and youth abducted by Russian authorities to Ukraine.
- Anton and Viktor, two young men who were forcibly taken to Russian territory, managed to return to Ukraine with the help of volunteer initiatives and the Ukrainian Network for Children's Rights.
Ukraine returns two young men abducted by Russia
Anton is 17 years old. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Russian military forcibly took him to Russian territory. All this time, he lived in constant tension from pressure and forced mobilization into the army of the occupying country.
Anton was looking for an opportunity to return to Ukraine, but for a long time he did not have access to verified information and did not understand who to turn to for help.
Viktor is 19 years old. He has been under occupation since the first days of the full-scale invasion. Viktor always wanted to go to Odessa, where close friends were waiting for him, but years of occupation gradually eroded his belief that this was possible.
After establishing contact, the teams of the Ukrainian Network for Children's Rights and "Lyudyanosti" began working on the boys' return.
Each stage required consideration of risks: documents, travel safety, communication, psychological state, and follow-up support upon return.
Each return involves checking information, assessing risks, building a safe route, coordinating between all parties involved, and constant support. All of this takes place in conditions where any mistake can cost safety.
Today, Anton and Viktor are already in the free territory of Ukraine. For them, it is an opportunity to be back in their legal field, next to the people who are waiting, and gradually regain a sense of security and control over their own lives.
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children and youth still remain in the temporarily occupied territories. Russia systematically creates conditions that limit freedom of choice, increase pressure, and make it difficult for them to leave.
We will not stop until every Ukrainian child returns home.
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:
