Yermak: Another 17 children, teenagers rescued from occupied territories
Another 17 children and teenagers were rescued from temporarily occupied territories as part of the initiative of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Bring Kids Back UA, Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak has said in the Telegram channel on Monday.
Yermak spoke about several life stories of rescued young Ukrainians. Thus, the occupiers forcibly sent a 17-year-old boy to a military camp, trenches, drills, weapons, drones, all under the control of Russian military personnel and without the consent of their parents. Another 17-year-old boy was detained during a house search: they took away equipment, interrogated him through his relatives in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and then they came and threatened his family more than once.
"A seven-year-old boy was forced to be hidden at home by his grandparents because the occupation authorities were preparing him for 'extraction.' A 12-year-old girl and her nine-year-old brother faced daily bullying at school, where they heard that they 'should be killed because they are Ukrainians," Yermak said.
According to him, now all these children are finally safe, receiving assistance, restoring their documents and returning to a peaceful life.
"I am grateful to the Save Ukraine, Helping to Leave teams, the SBU Joint Center for Coordination of the Search and Release of Prisoners of War, Persons Illegally Deprived of Liberty as a Result of Armed Aggression Against Ukraine, as well as to all partners who help return Ukrainian children," he said.
As reported, as of October 1, within the framework of the President's Bring Kids Back initiative, Ukraine had returned 1,645 children, after which Yermak reported over 63 more, and Head of Kherson Regional Military Administration Oleksandr Prokudin reported four more, and in addition, a group of children aged 10 to 17, without specifying their number.