Inside the ‘underground railroad’ Ukraine is using to bring back children from Russia
Inside the ‘underground railroad’ Ukraine is using to bring back children from Russia
Rostyslav Lavrov’s escape from the Russian naval academy in occupied Crimea was a calculated move. At 19, he had fled the school where he was enrolled at 16 after Moscow’s forces seized his hometown in Ukraine’s Kherson region. The academy had even issued him a new Russian birth certificate to erase his Ukrainian identity. But Lavrov refused to be assimilated. In October 2023, he left the dormitory unnoticed, embarking on a covert mission back to Ukraine. His journey marked one of thousands of children and teens who have returned to their homeland after being deported, transferred, or stranded in Russia, Belarus, or Russian-occupied territories.
Ukraine’s efforts to rescue these minors have sparked global attention, yet progress remains slow. Most of the 2,000 children who have reentered their country did so without formal Russian approval. Only a small fraction, 83, used Qatar’s assistance, while 19 were repatriated through a project led by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. For the majority, clandestine routes were the only option. Lavrov’s case highlights the risks involved, as Russian authorities later labeled him “missing and wanted” after his escape.
A covert operation for every child
Lavrov’s plan unfolded over three months, with volunteers from Save Ukraine orchestrating his exit. The group, which specializes in rescuing children from Russian-occupied zones, coordinated his departure. On the day of his escape, he dressed in his uniform and acted as if heading to class, masking his true intent. Volunteers awaited him at a nearby spot, ensuring his safe passage. “I didn’t take anything with me to avoid suspicion,” he explained to CNN. “I stayed calm at the checkpoints, even though I was terrified inside.”
“It’s like a special operation for every child,” said Mykola Kuleba, founder of Save Ukraine and former children’s ombudsman. “We don’t work with Russian officials or any figures in occupied areas because it’s too dangerous. If they learn about our plans, they’ll stop at nothing to prevent the child from coming home.”
Kuleba emphasized the hidden battles fought to reunite families. Once a child is identified as a target for deportation, Russian authorities intensify efforts to keep them in the occupied territories. This was evident in Yulia Dvornychenko’s experience, a widow arrested in 2021 in Torez, an eastern Ukrainian town under pro-Russia control since 2014. She was accused of espionage and forced to sign a false confession to secure her sons’ release. Danylo, 17, and Mark, 9, were sent to a Russian orphanage, with Danylo fleeing to Moscow after fearing conscription.
Dvornychenko, after being freed in a 2022 prisoner-of-war exchange, immediately sought help to reclaim her children. Russian officials initially promised Mark’s return through the exchange process, but new conditions emerged. Dvornychenko was required to personally retrieve him, a move Ukraine resisted to avoid re-arrest. While Mark remained in Torez, Danylo had already slipped into the shadows of Moscow. The ordeal underscores Ukraine’s struggle against a demographic “catastrophe,” where families are torn apart and children are weaponized as tools of displacement.
