Ukrainian teen who tried to escape Russian occupation alone reunited with mother before 17th birthday
A 16-year-old Ukrainian boy who tried to escape Russian-occupied territory on his own, only to be detained in Belarus and threatened with being sent back, has been reunited with his mother in Ukrainian-controlled territory.
The reunion took place on October 31, just days before his 17th birthday, Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets announced on November 5.
The boy had been living with his father in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine's southern Kherson region.
According to his mother, the father held pro-Russian views, prevented the teenager from attending school, subjected him to persistent psychological pressure and committed domestic violence.
Unable to endure the situation, the boy decided to leave the occupied territory on his own.
But while attempting to cross the border, he was detained by Belarusian law enforcement officers after his father reported him missing.
The teenager was placed in a children's shelter in Belarus. Meanwhile, Russian occupation authorities ordered that he be returned to his father, Lubinets said.
His mother was told she had to travel to the foreign institution in person and collect her son within a limited period. But she did not have a passport for international travel.
Ukraine's Ombudsman's Office intervened and helped expedite the issuance of her passport, allowing the family to be reunited.
"Together, we managed to prevent his forced return to the temporarily occupied territory and reunite him with his mother," Lubinets said.
The operation involved Ukrainian government agencies, the Foreign Ministry and nongovernmental organizations, including Humanity and the Ukrainian Child Rights Network.
The boy and his mother reached Ukrainian-controlled territory on October 31, the same day residents evacuated from the occupied city of Oleshky crossed into Ukraine following a humanitarian operation.
"And in just a few days, the boy will celebrate his 17th birthday," Lubinets wrote. "This time, beside his mother, on free land."
The Oleshky evacuation was carried out during a temporary ceasefire in parts of the Kherson region. More than 500 residents were brought to Ukrainian-controlled territory, according to Ukrainian officials.
The youngest evacuee was just over a year old, while the oldest was 94.
The teenager's name and other identifying details were not disclosed.