Two young adults were successfully brought back from the temporarily occupied territory

As part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative of the President of Ukraine, with the support of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, two friends, Liza* and Dasha*, were brought back from the temporarily occupied territory.

🟠 Liza had lived under occupation for more than ten years with her mother and brother.* Her parents are divorced, and her father lives in Ukrainian government-controlled territory and serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The family was forced to conceal this information from the occupation authorities and those around them due to the risk of persecution. Constant fear for her own safety and the lives of her loved ones accompanied Liza throughout the years of occupation.

Today, Liza is in Ukrainian government-controlled territory, while her mother and brother remain under Russian control.

🟠 For Dasha, the decision to leave also meant separation from her loved ones.* Her parents remained in the temporarily occupied territory.

Dasha had no opportunity to study online at a Ukrainian school, so she was forced to complete all 11 grades under the Russian educational curriculum. She later enrolled at a local university, but after deciding to discontinue her studies, she faced insults and pressure from lecturers and fellow students.

Both friends were subjected to forced passportization. While still at school, they were forced to obtain so-called “LPR passports” and later Russian passports. Without these documents, they were denied school certificates and other educational documents.

Liza and Dasha also describe systematic Russian propaganda and the militarization of education. During mandatory school assemblies and so-called “Conversations About Important Things” sessions, children were forced to listen to and sing the Russian national anthem.

Ukrainian educational curricula were replaced with Russian ones, and schoolchildren were encouraged to join propaganda and militarized movements, including “Eaglets of Russia,” “Yunarmiya,” and the “Movement of the First.”

Despite years of pressure and restrictions, Liza and Dasha never gave up their determination to leave the occupied territory. The friends decided to make the journey together.

Today, both girls are in Ukrainian government-controlled territory. With the support of specialists from the Ukrainian Child Rights Network, they are beginning a new chapter in their lives.

Ahead of them are adaptation and reintegration, the opportunity to continue their education, and the freedom to make their own plans for the future.

We continue working to ensure that Ukrainian children and young people who remain under Russian control can receive the support they need and return home safely.

*Names have been changed for security reasons.

Their return was made possible with the support of the Federal Government of Germany under the project “JOFU: Joining Forces for Child Protection in Ukraine,” implemented by the Ukrainian Child Rights Network together with the Joining Forces consortium and funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.