Ukrainian Girl Survived Years of Russian Occupation, Now Reunited With Her Mother

As a part of President of Ukraine’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative, a 14-year-old girl has been rescued from Russian occupation after being separated from her mother for over three and a half years, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak said on his official Telegram channel on September 9.

Before the full-scale invasion, her mother moved to Kyiv for work, leaving the girl with her grandfather in their hometown, which was occupied by Russian forces in the first days of the war.

During that time, the child lived under constant pressure and fear: at school, she was forced to praise Russia and repeat propaganda narratives, while her grandfather repeatedly faced threats that his granddaughter would be taken to an orphanage if he tried to send her to her mother, Yermak writes.

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“Thanks to the efforts of the Ukrainian Network for Children’s Rights, the girl has now been reunited with her mother and is receiving the necessary support and care,” he said.

Previously, Ukraine had brought back another large group of children from Russian-occupied territories under the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, the Office of the President announced.

Earlier, four Ukrainian servicemen who had been hiding in a hospital on Russian-occupied territory for more than three years were successfully evacuated, according to a September 5 report from Ukrainian Navy Commander Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa.

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