Save Ukraine's "Bring Kids Back UA" initiative evacuated 34 children and teenagers, aged 8 to 19, last week — from both Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and Russia itself. All are now receiving support at "Hope and Recovery" reintegration centers.
On August 6, 2026, Save Ukraine announced that it had rescued 34 children and teenagers, ages 8 to 19, evacuating them last week from two directions at once: Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and Russia itself. It is one of the largest single rescue batches carried out recently under the "Bring Kids Back UA" initiative, made possible with partners including Vladimir Klitschko and the #WeAreAllUkrainians initiative. Volunteers Support Ukraine follows every story of Ukrainian children coming home, and this one is worth telling in full, because it shows what sustained, coordinated work can achieve.
Behind the number 34 are individual children with individual stories. Sashko, 14, was bullied for his Ukrainian identity. Artem, 19, from occupied Crimea, was pressured into Russian military service, taken to propaganda meetings, and forced to make donations. These are not isolated incidents — they reflect what many Ukrainian children under occupation face on an ordinary day.
One of the hardest cases is 8-year-old Martyn, who suffered psychological trauma after a drone explosion nearby — and was then denied medical care because his family did not hold a Russian passport. It is one of the pressure tactics occupying authorities use against Ukrainian families who refuse imposed citizenship. Martyn, like all 34 rescued children, is now receiving psychological support in a safe environment.
All 34 children are now at "Hope and Recovery" reintegration centers, where they receive comprehensive support — psychological care, help restoring their documents, and comfortable housing. For children who spent months or years without valid Ukrainian papers and, in some cases, without access to basic medical care, getting documents restored is far more than paperwork — it is a first concrete step back toward an ordinary life at home.
Save Ukraine says it has now returned more than 1,500 children to Ukraine through this program. Every return like this one depends on a team of specialists — coordinators, psychologists, lawyers, and drivers — who stay with each child from the search phase through full resettlement.
Sashko's, Martyn's, and Artem's stories, along with those of the other 31 children in this group, are a reminder that thousands of Ukrainian children remain under occupation — and, at the same time, proof that bringing them home is possible. Volunteers Support Ukraine supports people affected by the war, children and families among them, with the resources it has, and takes real encouragement from every piece of news about children finally reaching safety.
