Two more Ukrainian youths rescued from temporarily occupied territories – Yermak
Two Ukrainian teenagers were rescued from temporarily occupied territories as part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative of the President of Ukraine, reported Andriy Yermak, Head of the President’s Office of Ukraine.
"An 18-year-old boy lived in a city where the occupiers had replaced the Ukrainian school curriculum with nothing but Russian propaganda, and speaking Ukrainian had become dangerous. He witnessed his teachers being forced to adopt Russian educational standards, and soldiers coming to schools with lectures on 'service to the Motherland.' The boy understood that the only option for a future there was forced conscription into the occupying army," Yermak recounted the story of the rescued man on his Telegram channel on Monday.
According to Yermak, the second, a 20-year-old boy, spent nearly three years under occupation. "He endured isolation, humiliation, and constant checks and searches by the occupation authorities. His sister managed to escape to Ukraine-controlled territory earlier, and it was she who convinced her brother to take this step."
"Today, both boys are safe with their families, starting a new life in a free Ukraine. Thanks to the Ukrainian Network for Children's Rights and the Humanity initiative, which helped save these boys," Yermak added.
As of October 1, Ukraine reportedly returned 1,645 children as part of the president's Bring Kids Back initiative, after which Yermak reported another 60, and the head of Kherson Regional Military Administration, Oleksandr Prokudin, reported four, as well as a group of children aged 10 to 17, without specifying their number.