Three Ukrainian children returned home from the occupation

17-year-old Denis was rescued by UMPD earlier this summer, but his 15-year-old brother and 12-year-old sister, as well as his parents, remained at the TOT.

After the eldest son left, the Russians began to come to the family with threats: they interrogated the parents, intimidated them with weapons, and tore up the father's Ukrainian passport. The children were forcibly forced to attend a Russian school, where they imposed propaganda and punished them for any manifestation of Ukrainian identity. Finally, after a difficult journey, his brother and sister were able to escape the occupation.

16-year-old Artem spent almost four years under occupation. His family refused to attend Russian school, so the occupation authorities and military constantly came to their home, threatened them, and demanded explanations.

Life became increasingly dangerous, and the boy decided to run away. Today, Artem is safe — next to his uncle and aunt, preparing to catch up on his studies and dreaming of entering university.

We are grateful to the Ukrainian Network for Children's Rights for helping to save these children. We continue to fight for every Ukrainian child. And we will not stop until everyone 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: