Story 12: Oleksandr

Oleksandr lived in the Kharkiv region with his mother and sister when the full-scale war broke out. Subsequently, Russian troops seized control of their city. On March 24, Oleksandr was injured during a shelling incident. Despite his family’s attempts to seek help from Ukrainian forces for medical treatment and relocation, they were captured by Russian troops.

Oleksandr and his family were moved to a filtration camp, which was the last time he saw his mother and sister. He was forcibly separated from them, and Russian authorities informed him that he would be sent to Russia and adopted by a Russian family.

Due to an injury below his eye, Oleksandr was initially taken to the Donetsk Regional Traumatology facility within the occupied territory for necessary medical care. Remembering his grandmother’s phone number, he mustered the courage to ask his hospital roommate to make a call. He informed his grandmother of his whereabouts and implored her to arrange his release. Determined, his grandmother gathered all the required documentation to secure his freedom.

Presently, Oleksandr is safely living with his grandmother, while the whereabouts of his mother and sister remain uncertain; they are either still in captivity or may have been deported to Russia.