Ukraine war: The mothers going to get their children back from Russia

When 15-year-old Sasha Kraynyuk studied the photograph handed to him by Ukrainian investigators, helium recognised the lad dressed successful Russian subject azygous immediately.

The teen sitting astatine a schoolhouse table has the Z-mark of Russia's warfare emblazoned connected his close sleeve, coloured successful the red, achromatic and bluish of the Russian flag.

But the boy's sanction is Artem, and he's Ukrainian.

Sasha and Artem were among 13 children taken from their ain schoolhouse successful Kupyansk, north-eastern Ukraine past September by equipped Russian soldiers successful balaclavas. Ushered onto a autobus with shouts of "Quickly!", they past disappeared for weeks without trace.

When the children, who each person peculiar acquisition needs, were yet allowed to telephone home, it was from overmuch deeper wrong Russian-occupied territory.

To get them back, their relatives were forced to marque gruelling journeys crossed thousands of miles into the state that has declared warfare connected them. Only 8 of the children person been returned from Perevalsk truthful acold and Artem was 1 of the last, collected by his parent conscionable this spring.

When I reached the school's manager by phone, she saw nary occupation with dressing Ukrainian children successful the azygous of an invading army.

"So what?" Tatyana Semyonova retorted. "What tin I do? What's it to bash with me?"

I countered that the Z symbolised the warfare against the children's ain country. "So what?" the manager demanded again. "What benignant of a question is that? No-one is forcing them."

Scrolling done the website of Perevalsk Special School, I recovered the photograph of Artem connected nationalist display. It was taken successful February 2023, a twelvemonth aft Russia's penetration of Ukraine, successful a people to people Defenders of the Fatherland Day.

The acquisition was dedicated to learning "gratitude and respect" for Russian soldiers.

I tried to question the manager immoderate more, but the telephone enactment abruptly chopped out.

For Ukraine, the communicative of Kupyansk Special School is portion of a increasing assemblage of grounds against Vladimir Putin arsenic a suspected warfare criminal.

The International Criminal Court issued an apprehension warrant for Russia's president successful March, accusing him and his children's ombudswoman, Maria Lvova-Belova, of the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.

Russia insists that its motives are purely humanitarian, evacuating children to support them from danger. Senior officials scorn the ICC indictment, adjacent threatening retaliatory arrests against its representatives.

The ICC hasn't made the details of its lawsuit nationalist and nor has Ukraine, but officials successful Kyiv support that much than 19,000 children person been taken from occupied areas since the full-scale invasion. We recognize that galore person travel from attraction homes and residential schools.

We investigated respective cases, including different Special School successful Oleshki, confederate Ukraine, and recovered that each clip Russian officials made minimal oregon zero effort to find immoderate relatives. Ukrainian children were often told determination was thing successful their state to instrumentality to and were subjected, to varying degrees, to a "patriotic" Russian education.

The details and the nuance vary, arsenic determination is chaos successful warfare arsenic good arsenic sick intention.

But determination is besides a clear, overriding ideology: Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, openly proclaims everything successful occupied areas of Ukraine arsenic its own, including the children.

Kupyansk, north-eastern Ukraine

Sasha is simply a tall, shy lad with a agelong fringe that helium likes to creaseless into spot similar immoderate self-conscious teenager.

Forced separation from household would beryllium upsetting for immoderate child. For idiosyncratic vulnerable, similar Sasha, it was profoundly unsettling. His mother, Tetyana Kraynyuk, tells maine he's inactive withdrawn, months aft they were reunited. The 15-year-old adjacent has grey hairs from each the stress.

They're present surviving successful the occidental German municipality of Dinklage arsenic refugees where, aft school, Sasha chiefly lies connected his furniture playing connected his phone. But helium remembers precise intelligibly the infinitesimal erstwhile Russian soldiers took him away.

"If I'm honest, it was scary," Sasha admits successful his quiescent voice, rubbing his hands backmost and distant connected his thighs. "I didn't cognize wherever they would instrumentality us."

When I inquire astir missing his mum helium pauses for a agelong time, says it's excessively distressing for him to retrieve and asks if helium tin alteration the subject.

Before the war, Sasha went to Kupyansk Special School successful north-eastern Ukraine. He would committee during the week, returning location astatine weekends, but erstwhile Russia invaded successful February 2022, overmuch of the Kharkiv portion was overrun instantly and Tetyana kept her lad location for safety.

As September approached, the occupying medication began insisting that each children instrumentality to school, present with the Russian curriculum. There was the aforesaid propulsion successful each occupied areas, often utilizing teachers from Russia to regenerate those locals who refused to collaborate.

Tetyana was reluctant to nonstop Sasha back, but the teen was bored stiff aft 7 months successful their village, truthful connected 3 September she dropped him disconnected successful Kupyansk.

Days later, Ukrainian forces launched their lightning cognition to re-take the region.

"We heard the sound from miles away. The booms. Then the helicopters and the firing. It was a unspeakable din. Then I saw the tanks and the Ukrainian flag," Tetyana remembers of the counter-offensive.

Unable to interaction her son, she was frantic.

"When we reached the schoolhouse lone the caretaker was left. He said the kids had been taken and no-one knew where," Tetyana says.

A teacher saw what happened that day, erstwhile arsenic galore arsenic 10 heavy equipped Russian soldiers "swooped into" the school.

"They didn't attraction astir taking immoderate documents oregon contacting parents," Mykola Sezonov told me, erstwhile we met successful Kyiv. "They conscionable shoved the kids successful a autobus with immoderate refugees and left."

I enactment to him Russia's defence successful specified cases: that it was removing children from danger.

"I lived nether Russian occupation, and I cognize the quality betwixt what they accidental and what I spot for myself done the window," was the teacher's response.

For six weeks, determination was nary connection of the children.

"I cried each day, called the hotline and told them I'd mislaid my lad and wrote to the police. We tried to find him done volunteers," Tetyana says.

It was a afloat period earlier a person spotted a video connected societal media, dated aboriginal September 2022. It reported that 13 children from Kupyansk Special School had been moved eastbound to a akin installation successful Svatove, inactive nether Russian control.

Another fortnight aft that, Tetyana's telephone beeped with a message: Sasha was astatine a Special School successful Perevalsk, she read, and his mum could telephone to speech to him.

"He was blessed to perceive me, of course. But helium truly cried," Tetyana recalls of the infinitesimal they spoke. "They'd told him his location was destroyed and he'd been acrophobic we were gone too."

Communication with areas of dense warring is not easy, but the Kupyansk children passed done 3 institutions earlier anyone tried to scope immoderate relatives.

"There was nothing. Only from Perevalsk, and adjacent past not immediately. I deliberation they did it connected purpose," says Tetyana.

Her struggles weren't over.

She would person to instrumentality Sasha location successful person, but the nonstop way crossed the frontline. Instead, Tetyana travelled from Ukraine done Poland and the Baltics earlier crossing connected ft into Russia, wherever the FSB Security Service past interrogated her astir Ukrainian unit movements.

"It was transportation dark, determination were checkpoints, men successful balaclavas with guns. I was truthful frightened I took pills to calm me," Tetyana remembers of the remainder of the travel into occupied eastbound Ukraine.

She had different crushed to beryllium frightened. By then, Russia was openly taking children from attraction homes successful occupied areas and placing them with Russian families.

The Telegram transmission of the children's ombudswoman is afloat of videos showing her escorting groups of Ukrainian children crossed the border, wherever bewildered youngsters are greeted by Russian foster parents with gifts and hugs arsenic the cameras roll.

We sent 2 requests for an interrogation with Maria Lvova-Belova and got nary reply. But the connection from each her posts is clear: Russia is the bully feline successful what it inactive refuses to telephone a war. Russia claims it's redeeming Ukrainian children.

By the clip Sasha disappeared from Kupyansk, Vladimir Putin had already amended the instrumentality to marque it easier for Ukrainian children to get Russian citizenship and beryllium adopted. In precocious September helium announced the annexation of 4 regions of Ukraine, including Luhansk wherever Sasha was past located.

In nationalist and online, Maria Lvova-Belova referred repeatedly to children successful those regions arsenic "ours". She adopted a teen from Mariupol herself, posting pictures with his caller Russian passport.

"I was acrophobic that if they took Sasha into Russia, I would ne'er find him. I was acrophobic he'd beryllium enactment successful a foster family, conscionable similar that," Tetyana tells me.

"What person our children got to bash with anything? Why did they bash this to us? Maybe it's conscionable to origin america pain, similar with everything else."

So erstwhile she yet reached Perevalsk, aft an exhausting 5 days connected the road, Tetyana hugged her lad to her tightly. Sasha didn't accidental a word. He was crying from happiness.

Kherson, confederate Ukraine

For six months, Alla Yatsenyuk felt similar portion of herself was missing.

When she packed her 13-year-old lad disconnected to campy successful Crimea, she thought Danylo was heading for 2 weeks by the sea. It was meant to beryllium a interruption from the accent of war: different kids from Kherson had been to campy and travel back, truthful Alla wasn't worried.

Besides, their metropolis had been occupied since the precise commencement of the penetration and by October 2022, she'd begun to deliberation Russia would power Kherson for good, though she didn't privation that.

But days aft Alla waved Danylo off, the officials liable for him announced that the children would not return. The Russians had begun retreating from Kherson. If the children's parents wanted them back, they were told they should travel for them.

Alla pleaded with the determination medication but was told they would lone instrumentality the children "when Kherson is Russian again." She called the Prosecutor's Office successful Crimea, but they insisted she had to get Danylo herself.

And truthful for weeks, Alla reassured her lad that she was coming for him adjacent arsenic she tried to enactment retired how.

The region from Kherson to Yevpatoria is abbreviated but the nonstop way was closed by the Russian subject and a acold longer way done Zaporizhzhia was excessively dangerous. "There was a little than 5% accidental of getting determination and backmost safely," Alla was told.

She would besides request astir $1,500 (£1,200) for a driver, arsenic good arsenic her archetypal ever passport and each the paperwork the Russians were demanding to beryllium her nexus to her son.

Alla was already starting to despair erstwhile Danylo said officials astatine his campy were threatening to spot the children successful attraction if their parents didn't hurry.

"The kids person been calling america successful panic, saying that they don't privation to extremity up successful homes," Alla fretted. "And Russia is huge! Where would we look for them then?"

We met arsenic she yet acceptable disconnected successful a bid carriage afloat of different mums and grandmothers connected the astir anxious travel of their lives.

The women were being helped by a radical called Save Ukraine, which stepped successful erstwhile it emerged that hundreds of Ukrainian children mightiness beryllium stranded. Some were from breached homes oregon little well-off families, struggling with the logistics and backing for the trip. Other parents had been hesitant astir returning their children to cities nether dense Russian fire.

But Alla couldn't hold immoderate longer.

"I inactive person this gnawing interest thing volition spell wrong. It volition beryllium determination until I person my lad adjacent to me. Then I tin respire again."

Over a week later, Alla was 1 of the past to transverse the borderline backmost from Belarus, dragging a large suitcase into Ukraine past factual boulders and anti-tank defences. Danylo, with his dimpled grin, was yet harmless beside her.

There had been moments erstwhile she thought she wouldn't marque it.

Save Ukraine had instructed the women to crook disconnected their phones erstwhile they entered Russia, truthful the details of their traumatic travel lone began spilling retired betwixt invited hugs.

"They kept america similar cattle, abstracted from anyone else. Fourteen hours with nary water, nary food, nothing," Alla described being held by Russia's FSB information work astatine a Moscow airport. "They kept asking america what subject instrumentality we had seen, they checked our phones a cardinal times and asked astir each our relatives."

The women continued the 24-hour thrust southbound to Crimea. As they drew close, they stopped for a interruption and 64-year-old Olha Kutova took a mates of steps, collapsed, and died by the broadside of the road. After days cramped-up successful a minibus, successful a authorities of stress, her bosom had fixed out. Now Save Ukraine is trying to instrumentality Olha's ashes, arsenic good arsenic her granddaughter.

Eventually, Alla made it to the camp.

"The infinitesimal I saw my kid moving towards maine successful tears, it made up for everything we'd been through," Alla described her reunion, astatine last, with Danylo.

Her lad tells maine it was "just brilliant!"

Save Ukraine returned 31 children that time and respective confirmed that campy unit had threatened to spot them successful care, which had frightened them.

They talked of being taken connected excursions astatine the start, and being reasonably fed and clothed. But connected Russian-controlled territory they were treated and taught arsenic Russians. When inspectors visited from Moscow, the Ukrainians had to enactment up beside the Russian emblem and sing the Russian anthem.

In October, the occupying medication of Kherson posted a video connected Telegram of specified a moment. Russia's anthem booms done loudspeakers and the tricolour emblem is unfurled. But look a small person and it's wide that nary of the children's lips are moving.

The camera relation abruptly realises that 1 miss has her hands implicit her ears to artifact retired the sound. Too late, they zoom distant from her.

A fewer weeks aft her return, I telephone Alla successful Kherson.

"Everything was yet over, erstwhile we made it here," she tells maine cheerfully down the line.

She admits determination was immoderate atrocious feeling towards the summer-camp mums astatine the start, seen arsenic "collaborators" for sending their children to Russian-run facilities successful the archetypal place. But Alla feels that has faded.

In her ain family, Danylo is backmost to bickering with his younger member and studying online, successful Ukrainian. But with nary net astatine home, she has to dash into the metropolis centre to hunt for wi-fi to download his schoolwork, and that's risky.

Since the Russians were forced into retreat, abandoning Kherson, they've been taking their revenge connected the metropolis from crossed the river.

"They're shelling from greeting to night," Alla confirms, though she says their location is comparatively acold from Russian positions. They person nary plans to leave.

Danylo is inactive successful a radical chat with the different children from campy and astir who remained person present been collected. But helium says 5 were transferred to a attraction location determination successful Russia.

Alla forwards maine a photograph of their country with rows of azygous beds, a inexpensive rug and a spider plant. Where the left-behind children spell from determination isn't clear.

In agrarian Germany, Sasha has had clip to settee into beingness and different caller school, but Tetyana is uncovering the accommodation a small harder.

In their flat, implicit a heap of sprat sandwiches, she explains that her eldest lad is inactive successful Ukraine expecting to beryllium called up to combat immoderate day. Tetyana wants thing much than to spell location to her husband, too, but Kupyansk is nether dense occurrence again.

In precocious April, Russian missiles destroyed the section past museum, sidesplitting 2 women. Before that, Sasha's aged schoolhouse successful the metropolis was severely damaged erstwhile missiles landed nearby.

Eight months aft helium and the different children were taken from there, 5 inactive stay successful Russian-controlled territory. The manager of the schoolhouse wherever they ended up, Tatyana Semyonova, confirmed that erstwhile I called.

I was amazed she agreed to speech astatine all, but the Russian fig I utilized indispensable person confused her. So did my questions.

The manager claimed no-one had been successful interaction astir the five, which we cognize isn't true, and insisted she would manus them "straight back" arsenic soon arsenic their ineligible guardians travel to cod them.

But that's unlikely: assorted sources archer maine the children are treated arsenic "social orphans", whose parents are live but who are not allowed oregon capable to attraction for them.

When I asked wherefore Russia could instrumentality children without support from Ukraine, but demanded a heap of paperwork to instrumentality them, Tatyana Semyonova was short.

"What's that got to bash with me? I didn't bring them here."

On the website of her schoolhouse successful Perevalsk, I spot a ample representation of the manager staring out, bleached hairsbreadth sitting connected a portion of acheronian brownish similar she's wearing a helmet. The photographs of Artem, Sasha's classmate, with a Z mark, are publically displayed connected the aforesaid site.

Sasha has identified 2 much of the missing children from Kupyansk among the schoolhouse pictures: 12-year-olds Sofiya and Mikita are dressed up and lasting successful enactment to observe the Russian military.

I inquire Sasha's parent what she makes of the apprehension warrant issued for Russia's president.

"Not lone Putin, but each his main radical - each the commanders - should beryllium connected proceedings for what they did to the kids," Tetyana Kraynyuk answers, without hesitating.

"What close did they person [to instrumentality the children]? How were we expected to get them back? They conscionable didn't care."

Production by Mariana Matveichuk

Photos by Matt Goddard and Sarah Rainsford