Author:
Yuliia Didenko
Olena Rozvadovska, co-founder and Chair of the Board of Voices of Children, and the Foundation’s psychologist Nataliia Sosnovenko, took part in a meeting with Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, sister of King Charles III.
The event took place in Kyiv at the Child Rights Protection Center, together with First Lady Olena Zelenska and Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets. Princess Anne met Ukrainian children who had endured forced deportation and occupation, and heard about Russia’s war crimes directly from our team.
The event took place in Kyiv at the Child Rights Protection Center, together with First Lady Olena Zelenska and Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets. Princess Anne met Ukrainian children who had endured forced deportation and occupation, and heard about Russia’s war crimes directly from our team.
Stories of Children Returned from Deportation
Among those present were three teenagers whose stories testify to their inner strength.
Valeriia from Nova Kakhovka was one of the first children to be brought back from Russian captivity. She made a daring decision: to escape on her own through a dangerous humanitarian corridor. After her return, we provided Valeriia with long-term psychological support. She was also taken under the care of Olha Tymchenko, then Head of Communications at Voices of Children.
Twelve-year-old Sashko survived the siege of Mariupol, sustained a shrapnel injury to his eye while rushing to save his sister, endured captivity in Russia, and separation from his mother, who still remains in captivity there. The boy managed to make a phone call to his grandmother, who then traveled thousands of kilometers to rescue him.
Marta, meanwhile, had been living under occupation since 2014. She was only able to escape to free Ukraine after turning 18—and it was then that she could finally begin studying in Ukrainian, a language she had secretly learned all those years.
Valeriia from Nova Kakhovka was one of the first children to be brought back from Russian captivity. She made a daring decision: to escape on her own through a dangerous humanitarian corridor. After her return, we provided Valeriia with long-term psychological support. She was also taken under the care of Olha Tymchenko, then Head of Communications at Voices of Children.
Twelve-year-old Sashko survived the siege of Mariupol, sustained a shrapnel injury to his eye while rushing to save his sister, endured captivity in Russia, and separation from his mother, who still remains in captivity there. The boy managed to make a phone call to his grandmother, who then traveled thousands of kilometers to rescue him.
Marta, meanwhile, had been living under occupation since 2014. She was only able to escape to free Ukraine after turning 18—and it was then that she could finally begin studying in Ukrainian, a language she had secretly learned all those years.
Sharing with Princess Anne the Psychological Challenges and the Path to Healing
Olena Rozvadovska and Nataliia Sosnovenko explained the psychological challenges Ukrainian children face in Russia.
After the pressure, fear, and deceit that Ukrainian children experienced in Russia, the journey home does not end at the border. It is a long process of overcoming traumatic experiences and gradually returning to normal life. Our team does everything possible to ensure that along this path a child receives psychological support, tailored humanitarian aid, assistance in dealing with everyday challenges, and the opportunity to join the Foundation’s camps and other psychosocial programs,
Ukrainian psychologists already have significant experience in helping such children. Ukraine runs a reintegration program for those who have been returned, and we are actively involved in it.
International Support in Returning Children
Russia has abducted thousands of Ukrainian children. So far, 1,645 have been returned. The struggle for the others continues.
Forty-two countries, the Council of Europe, and the European Union are cooperating in the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. The United Kingdom is one of the most active participants in this coalition and in the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, which unites international experts in developing mechanisms for returning children.
We are deeply grateful to the United Kingdom and especially to Her Royal Highness for their consistent support of Ukraine and their attention to the plight of deported children.
Forty-two countries, the Council of Europe, and the European Union are cooperating in the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. The United Kingdom is one of the most active participants in this coalition and in the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, which unites international experts in developing mechanisms for returning children.
We are deeply grateful to the United Kingdom and especially to Her Royal Highness for their consistent support of Ukraine and their attention to the plight of deported children.
We cannot stop the war today. But we can help the children who suffer from it.
Every child who has lived through deportation, occupation, or captivity needs professional psychological support—sometimes for months, even years. In our regional centers, teenagers can find a community of peers, receive psychological care, and take part in creative activities and games. If needed, any child or parent can also call our free psychological support helpline: 0 800 210 106.
Your help gives them the chance to recover and to believe in the future. Support our daily work so that no returned child is left alone with the war.
Every child who has lived through deportation, occupation, or captivity needs professional psychological support—sometimes for months, even years. In our regional centers, teenagers can find a community of peers, receive psychological care, and take part in creative activities and games. If needed, any child or parent can also call our free psychological support helpline: 0 800 210 106.
Your help gives them the chance to recover and to believe in the future. Support our daily work so that no returned child is left alone with the war.
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