Four girls and two boys aged 10 to 17 have crossed back onto Ukrainian-controlled territory from the temporarily occupied part of Kherson region, helped by the charity Save Ukraine and the Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
Four girls and two boys, aged between 10 and 17, have returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory from the temporarily occupied part of the Kherson region. The operation was carried out by the charity Save Ukraine as part of the presidential initiative "Bring Kids Back UA." Volunteers Support Ukraine welcomes every report like this one, even as the circumstances that force children and families to flee occupation remain grim.
Moving children out of temporarily occupied territory is rarely simple. Because no direct, safe route exists between the occupation and Ukrainian-controlled land, such operations typically require careful coordination through third countries and can stretch over several days. Families who attempt the crossing face real risk at checkpoints and during filtration procedures along the way. Save Ukraine has carried out dozens of similar operations since the start of the full-scale invasion, and this one is part of that ongoing effort.
After crossing, the children begin rehabilitation at "Hope and Recovery" centers, where they receive psychological support, help restoring documents, and safe shelter. Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, said the return marks another step toward bringing children home to their families and out of Russian occupation. According to him, 157 children have been returned from the occupied part of the Kherson region since the start of 2026.
According to the Kherson Regional Military Administration, children in occupied areas are often pressured to attend pro-Russian events, taught under the Russian curriculum, and in some cases pushed to obtain Russian citizenship under threat of being separated from their families or denied medical care. That is why every return like this one is not just a logistical operation — it is a rescue from a systematic effort to erase Ukrainian identity.
NGO Volunteers Support Ukraine keeps helping people affected by the war in whatever way and to whatever extent its available resources allow — from humanitarian aid for families to support for the communities receiving children and adults who return from occupation or captivity.
