Ukraine Rescues 8 Children Taken to Crimea, Where They Faced Military Indoctrination

On February 6, Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President and Operational Director of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, Daria Zarivna, announced the return of eight Ukrainian children who had been unlawfully taken to temporarily occupied Crimea.

According to Zarivna, the children were separated from their mother under pressure while she was in the hospital. Authorities then placed them in an orphanage, where they faced psychological pressure and were encouraged to participate in activities promoting military training and propaganda.

“Their story is an example of the systemic cruelty of the occupiers: the children were forcibly taken from their mother while she was in the hospital, forcing her under threats to give them up to an orphanage,” Zarivna stated.

She emphasized that such actions are part of a wider strategy to undermine Ukrainian identity and that Ukraine remains committed to bringing all displaced children back home.

"This is part of a broader effort aimed at erasing Ukrainian identity," Zarivna stated.

Previously, twelve more Ukrainian children have been returned home from Russian-occupied territories as part of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s "Bring Kids Back UA" initiative.