Thread by @IneBackIversen

🧵 15 Ukrainian children were returned from the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

I want all to read the stories of these children, how the russian occupier strive to erase Ukrainian identity & even force them into the russian army.

2/ it’s absolutely no secret how Ukrainians living under russian occupying forces are subjected to horrific torture, violence & oppression. We’ve seen it in every liberated area, and the stories of Ukrainian survivors are absolutely horrific. ineukraine.com/2024/06/06/ukr…

3/ Children are no exception from the russian vicious tactics. Some, especially the youngest children, many already orphans, others russia forcefully take from their families & illegally handed to russian “caretakers”.

4/For the older children with families living under occupation, russias main goal is erasing their Ukrainian identity and brainwashing. They are forced to go to russian schools, speak the russian and Ukrainian history is erased. Then the oldest are summoned into the russian army.

5/ The most recent return of children was announced by @MykolaKuleba , founder of @SaveukraineUs who together with @BringKidsBackUA have managed to return a total of 538 Ukrainian children from the russian occupiers. The organization often share their heartbreaking stories.

6/ Vitalina was to give birth when the russian invaders took her village, unable to escape, she gave birth under occupation & her child was born with russian papers. She was then forced to give up her Ukranian passport for a russian passport, in order not to lose her own child!

7/ Marichka was forced into russian school, speak only russian & daily repeat russian poems about “the greatness of russia”. When she turned 18, the occupiers told her she had 2 choices: “either embrace russian identity” or “leave your home take nothing but water & start walking”

8/ The occupying forces came to the family of 17-year old Kyriloví to hand the boy summons. The family told the terrifying story of how russians barged into their home without knocking, with papers stating “as new citizen of russia, it’s mandatory for the boy to serve our army”

9/ Tamila was told by the occupying forces that if she refused to exchange her children’s Ukranian papers with russian ones, and enroll them in russian school she was: “depriving her children education” they then said: “You’re warned twice, by the 3rd we take your children”

10/ 16-year-old Valeriy, told of the terrifying first days under occupation when russians broke into every home, ransacked & shouted at the locals. One day they took his friend at gunpoint, drove him away in a car ordering him to point out houses where girls were living.

11/ At school under the occupying forces, Valeriy told how they were being prepared for service in the russian army, and were taught how to assemble and disassemble weapons.

12/ Evgenia was only 11 when russian occupation took her home. Forced into russian school she was deprived of any creative activities & obsessively pushed to repeat russian propaganda, learn about the “youth army” & sing the russian anthem before every class.

13/ Evgenia had refused to write supportive letters to the russian military, for which she was punished, bullied & failed in all subjects by the occupying leadership of the school.

14/ These are only a tiny fractions of stories by children and families who have been forced to live under russian occupation. And I fear, many of the most horrific of such stories will never be told. That many Ukrainian children won’t ever be able to tell their stories.

15/ The war crimes russia commit against the Ukrainians is ever growing. The worst thing that can happen is that it goes unpunished, that the stories of those fallen victims to russian crimes gets silenced, ignored, or forgotten! #holdrussiaaccountable

https://x.com/inebackiversen/status/1780401789613051934?s=46&t=lMIyn_xF6AJc8xfkSxZkGQ

@UnrollHelper