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Ukraine Saves Two Teenage Girls From Russian-Occupied Territory Amid Ongoing Abductions
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![Photo of Liubava Petriv]( "Photo of Liubava Petriv")
Head of the Office of the President, Andriy Yermak, announced that two Ukrainian teenage girls have been rescued from territories under Russian occupation, thanks to the President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
“They spent three years living under Russian occupation. There were threats, the risk of searches, and they were forced to attend Russian schools. Despite this, the girls preserved their Ukrainian identity. They studied online through Ukrainian schools, avoided imposed ‘patriotic’ activities, and fought every day for the right to be themselves. Now they are safe, with their families, receiving support and assistance,” Yermak said.
He expressed gratitude to the Ukrainian Network for Children’s Rights for their role in facilitating the rescue, emphasizing the fulfillment of the President’s directive to return all Ukrainian children.
The day before, on August 18, during talks between President Zelenskyy and President Trump at the White House, the return of Ukrainian children was reportedly one of the main topics. President Zelenskyy has repeatedly emphasized the importance of this issue in meetings with European leaders and in briefings with journalists afterwards.
He additionally thanked First Lady Melania Trump, whose personal letter was handed to Russian leader Vladimir Putin by President Donald Trump during his nearly three-hour meeting with the Russian leader in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15.
Ukraine has consistently condemned the forced transfer of children to Russia and Russian-occupied areas as a violation of international law. Kyiv estimates that over 20,000 minors have been abducted since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Previously, it was reported that a 14-year-old girl, who Russian occupation authorities had planned to send to an orphanage in the Russian Federation, has been successfully evacuated to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
