Three more children were rescued from the occupied regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia thanks to the efforts of, as part of the President of Ukraine’s initiative
The story of siblings, 13-year-old Anzhelika and 14-year-old Yevhen, who lived with their grandfather Mykhailo, is particularly emotional. The Russian occupiers broke into their home multiple times, threatening the family and attempting to evict them. Also, occupation forces repeatedly demanded that Mykhailo enroll the children in Russian schools and obtain Russian passports. When they refused, Russians threatened them with deportation.
The story of 17-year-old Erik, the son of a local clergyman in a town under temporary occupation, is harrowing. Before the war, Erik assisted his father with church services. However, after the occupation, the Russians seized the church for their own use. They pressured worshippers to register and obtain Russian passports. Due to his religious beliefs, Erik endured repeated interrogations and faced constant threats from the occupation’s security forces if he refused to cooperate. Recently, he was almost forced to join the occupiers’ army.
Names have been altered for safety.