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A tale of escape from Russian-held territory comes as a 16-year-old and her grandmother successfully evaded occupation forces in Kherson Oblast, according to a recent statement by regional chief Oleksandr Prokudin. He reported their arrival in a region under Ukrainian control on February 11.
The living conditions under occupation are rife with dread, Prokudin shared on the messaging platform Telegram. He recounted the experiences of the young girl and her grandmother who feared crossing through hostile military checkpoints.
Prokudin spotlighted that it took an extended cooperation with different agencies to coordinate the safe extrication of the pair from the grips of occupation.
“Therefore, it brings me joy to greet yet another child, another family, to the lands of freedom,” he expressed.
Based on government data, Russia has, since the inception of the full-scale conflict, forcibly removed or kidnapped nearly 20,000 children from territories under its control in Ukraine. Nonetheless, the genuine figure is suspected to be substantially higher.
So far, a figure nearing 400 children have been successfully returned to areas governed by Kyiv.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) declared the issuance of arrest warrants for the Russian head of state Vladimir Putin, and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights. They face war crimes charges related to the unlawful deportation of children amidst the invasion.
One mother recounts the harrowing rescue of her child from Russian captivity as akin to ‘hell.’
Tetiana Bodak was arranging her mother’s funeral, a victim of Russian aggression in then-occupied Kherson, when she received a surprising call from her son claiming to be in Oleshky, a settlement under Russian control.
