Rescued from Occupation: Russia Forced Ukrainian Teens into Army and Threatened to Burn Families Alive

Ukrainian rescue teams have successfully brought home another 28 children and teenagers from temporarily occupied territories and Russia, according to Mykola Kuleba, head of the Save Ukraine organization.

The operation, completed last week, highlights the ongoing campaign of coercion, threats, and forced militarization that Russian occupation authorities continue to inflict on Ukrainian minors.

The children and adolescents were evacuated with the support of partners including WeAreAllUkrainians, the Humanity Charitable Foundation, and the United Center for the Coordination of Search and Release.

The effort forms part of the broader presidential initiative Bring Kids Back UA.

All 28 now reside in “Hope and Recovery” centers, where they receive comprehensive psychological support, assistance with documents, and safe housing as they begin rebuilding their lives.

Among those rescued is 20-year-old Svyatoslav. He survived multiple near-misses from Russian drone strikes and personally witnessed occupation forces compelling residents to vote in a so-called referendum at gunpoint. Once he turned 18, the pressure intensified. Occupiers began pushing him to enlist in the Russian army. “He saw with his own eyes how people were forced to cast ballots under the barrels of automatic weapons,” Kuleba reported. After reaching adulthood, the threats of conscription became constant.

Another rescued teenager, 18-year-old Andriy, was compelled to train as a drone operator. That training placed him on priority lists for mobilization. At university, officials issued a blunt ultimatum: sign a contract with the Russian army or face expulsion. Andriy refused and was eventually extracted from the occupied territory.

A third case involves 18-year-old Oleksiy. Occupiers threatened to burn him and his entire family alive unless he accepted a Russian passport. Armed Russian soldiers regularly searched students at his school, turning out their pockets. On one occasion, his class teacher delivered a military summons to him in the middle of a lesson. The pressure to accept Russian citizenship and prepare for conscription was relentless.

These three young men and the other 25 rescued individuals endured systematic attempts to erase their Ukrainian identity and convert them into potential soldiers for the occupying forces.

Many faced a combination of propaganda, blackmail, administrative pressure, and direct physical threats.

Kuleba emphasized that the children had to confront “pressure, blackmail, and hostile propaganda,” yet all of that is now behind them.

Save Ukraine has already returned more than 1,500 children to Ukrainian-controlled territory since the full-scale invasion began.

Each successful extraction requires complex coordination, discreet logistics, and close cooperation with local networks still operating under occupation.

The latest group of 28 demonstrates that the machinery of forced Russification and militarization continues unabated.

Kuleba stressed that thousands of other children remain trapped in the same system. Occupation authorities continue to issue Russian passports under duress, push military training in schools and universities, and prepare minors for potential conscription.

The threat of mobilization hangs over boys as soon as they reach 18, while younger children are subjected to ideological indoctrination and constant surveillance.

The rescued teenagers are currently undergoing rehabilitation. Specialists provide trauma-informed psychological care, help restore official Ukrainian documents, and assist with practical needs such as housing and education. The centers aim to create a sense of safety and normalcy after years of fear and coercion.

Partners who supported the latest operation include boxing champion and philanthropist Volodymyr Klitschko, Tatiana Kiel, WeAreAllUkrainians, the Humanity Foundation, and the United Coordination Center.

Their combined efforts make continued extractions possible.“These children have already returned home,” Kuleba said.

“But thousands more are still held hostage by a system that ruthlessly erases their memory and turns them into soldiers.

Our fight for every single one of them continues.”The rescue of these 28 young people underscores both the resilience of Ukrainian civil society networks and the persistent brutality of the occupation regime.

While each successful return is a victory, the scale of the remaining crisis remains vast.

Save Ukraine and its partners reaffirm their commitment to bringing every Ukrainian child home.

EMPR