Ukraine brings 23 children and young adults home from Russian-occupied territories

Mykola Kuleba, founder and head of Save Ukraine, announced the latest rescue mission on October 19, saying it was carried out with support from partners under Ukraine's Bring Kids Back UA initiative.

Among those brought back was nine-year-old Stefan, who, according to Kuleba, was forced at school to practice throwing grenades and assembling and disassembling assault rifles.

After Stefan drew a blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag, Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers summoned his mother to the school, threatened her and demanded that she teach her son to "love the motherland," Kuleba said.

Another child, 13-year-old Polina, reportedly survived an encounter with a Russian combat drone that pursued her in her own yard. She escaped by dropping to the ground and hiding in thorny bushes.

The experience left her so frightened that she refused to go outside, according to Save Ukraine. But her home offered little safety either: Kuleba said armed Russian personnel entered houses and shot at television antennas to cut residents off from information.

The group also helped 20-year-old Mariana, who said armed Russian soldiers forced her to walk home under escort for a document check and subjected her to harsh interrogations at checkpoints.

While attending school under occupation, Mariana was made to listen to teachers brought in by the Russian authorities who openly denied that Ukraine existed, Kuleba said.

The 23 people brought back are now receiving psychological support, rehabilitation, assistance with documents and housing at Save Ukraine's Hope and Recovery centers, according to the organization.

Kuleba said thousands of Ukrainian children remain in Russian-occupied territories.

Save Ukraine says it has helped more than 1,800 children return to Ukrainian government-controlled territory since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.