Story 21: Yurii

Yurii, a 21-year-old engineering student from Mariupol, lived separately from his family. He found himself forcibly separated from his parents when the city came under siege. While his mother successfully fled Mariupol, Yurii was forcefully transported to Russia by the occupying forces.

On that fateful day, Russian soldiers arrived at Yurii’s residence, instructing him to gather his belongings. They informed him that he had no choice but to be “evacuated” to Russia. Yurii was then herded onto a train with other individuals from Mariupol. This occurred on April 4. Ten days later, Yurii managed to send a text to his mother, revealing that after enduring days on the train, they had arrived in the village of Semyonovka in Russia’s Nizhegorodsky region.

In the village, Yurii found himself confined in a temporary accommodation center, nestled amidst a dense forest. There, Russian “volunteers” and police routinely questioned him about his family back in Ukraine and his views on the ongoing conflict.

Regrettably, these messages were the last communication Yurii had with his mother. Presently, no information is available to ascertain his current status or well-being.