A group of Ukrainian children ages 2 to 17 returned to Ukraine from Russian-occupied territories in southern Kherson Oblast, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Dec. 5.

The Ukrainian humanitarian NGO Save Ukraine, which rescues children from Russian occupation, reported in a Dec. 4 Facebook post that 18 children were brought back to Ukrainian-controlled territories over the last week.

Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, deputy head of the Kherson Oblast Military Administration, told the Kyiv Independent that around half of the 18 kids were rescued from the Russian-occupied parts of Kherson Oblast, located on the eastern side of the Dnipro River.

“Each and every one of them fully experienced the so-called ‘Russian world,’” Prokudin said in a Telegram post. “It is a real miracle that the children were rescued.”

The latest news on the return of Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territories comes as Russia intensifies its propaganda and militarization efforts, even among minors. The United Nations has demanded “an immediate return” of Ukrainian children who were deported or forcibly sent from occupied territories to Russia throughout the war.

Save Ukraine said in the post that it has rescured over 1,000 children from Russian occupation thus far, but “thousands” are still waiting.

The NGO added that the 18 children who recently returned to the Ukrainian-controlled territories endured threats, pressure, and Moscow’s “re-education” propaganda under Russian occupation.

Among the kids rescued is a 17-year-old boy named Taras, whose education was dominated by Russian propaganda and military training, which included grenade throwing and trench drills, Save Ukraine said.

Another is a 13-year-old girl named Olesia, whose mother was threatened by Russian occupation authorities that she would be taken “to a basement,” with “military police” regularly visiting their home to pressure her to send her daughter to a Russian school, according to Save Ukraine. The group added that Russian drones made the route to school dangerous.

The details on how the rescue operation was conducted were not disclosed by Prokudin or Save Ukraine.

Read also: Russia is preparing Ukrainian children from occupied territories to fight in its war

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