The Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University now estimates that over 35,000 abducted Ukrainian kids are being held by Russia.
The few who have been rescued tell horrific stories of Russian indoctrination, illegal militarization and brutal punishment for refusing to give up their Ukrainian identity.
Here are some stories from kids who were rescued, courtesy of an organization called ‘Bring Kids Back Ukraine.’
“The Russians said that my mother did not need me and that I would be given to a foster family in Russia,” said 12-year-old Olekander from Mariupol.
“I wanted to escape through the backyard but was afraid they [might] shoot me. So, I had to get in the truck with them. It was so scary,” said 13-year-old Artem from Kharkiv.
Another story is from these six children - Vitaliy, Zhenia, Taya, Dayana and then, of course, two other girls, who asked not to be named.
They said, in September and October 2022, they came to the occupied Crimean Peninsula for what was called a “rehabilitation program.”
They say they were mocked in the camp [and] humiliated based on their nationality.
The Russians locked children, like these folks, who expressed pro-Ukrainian positions in a basement or an isolation cell.
They forbad children to speak Ukrainian, and instead, forced them to listen to the Russian national anthem, learn Russian patriotic songs and to do hard work.
For at least six months, the Russians lied to children that their parents had allegedly abandoned them and, in general, that Ukraine no longer needed these children.
Now, as the Trump administration moves forward to secure a peace, we must not forget the plight of these children.
I appreciated very much First Lady Melania Trump’s heartfelt letter urging Putin to release these kids, and I also heard that President Zelenskyy mentioned those letters and the children at [the] recent White House meeting.
So, children should not become bargaining chips in geopolitical negotiations.
Their safe return must be prioritized before any final peace agreement is reached.
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