17-year-olds Matvii, Oleksandr, and Maksym escaped occupation after receiving military draft notices for the Russian army. Matvii and Oleksandr were forced to accept Russian passports, only to be conscripted into the Russian military immediately after. Maksym, meanwhile, was abducted from his home, handcuffed, and taken to a recruitment office, where he was pressured to sign a contract. After his release, he went into hiding at his grandmother’s home until our team helped him escape.
Alisa Tsushko gave birth to her daughter during the full-scale war but refused to register her under Russian documents. Occupation authorities insisted that her child was “Russian.” Because Alisa managed to obtain a Ukrainian birth certificate for her, the next year and a half in occupation was a nightmare. Her daughter was denied vaccines and even basic medical care.
12-year-old Andrii and 7-year-old Mia endured unimaginable trauma. After losing their mother, Russian social services took them and placed them in an orphanage, where they were prepared for adoption into Russian families. They were forced to sing songs about «Rostov and Donbas» and attend lessons on how to assemble and disassemble a rifle. The occupiers confiscated their phones and kept them in complete isolation from their relatives. But thanks to Save Ukraine, they have now been reunited with their aunt.
This rescue operation was made possible through the coordinated efforts of the Humanite Foundation, the Coordination Center at the Security Service of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Ombudsman’s Office. We remain committed to saving every Ukrainian child from the grip of the occupiers.