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
A Teen’s Secret Escape from Crimea
Rostyslav Lavrov resolved not to let that transformation take root. At 16, he was sent to a Russian naval academy in occupied Crimea, a place where Moscow had seized his hometown in Ukraine’s Kherson region. The institution attempted to issue him a new – Russian – birth certificate to solidify his identity as a citizen of the aggressor state. Yet Lavrov refused to surrender his Ukrainian roots. In October 2023, he executed a daring plan to leave the compound, navigating his way back to Kyiv under the radar.
Ukraine’s Underground Network
Now 19, Lavrov is among the approximately 2,000 Ukrainian minors who have fled Russia, Belarus, or Russian-occupied areas. Most left covertly, as securing official exit permissions was nearly impossible. Ukraine has mobilized global support, forming alliances to pressure Russia into cooperation. However, progress has been slow. Only around 102 children returned via formal routes: 83 with assistance from Qatar and 19 through a U.S.-led initiative linked to Melania Trump.
Operation: Rescue from the Shadows
Lavrov’s departure was meticulously planned over three months. He reached out to Save Ukraine, a group specializing in clandestine child rescues. Volunteers arranged his escape, exploiting a scheduling gap to stage his exit. “I chose a day when my classes were in a different building. I wore my uniform and acted as usual, pretending I was heading to study,” he explained to CNN. “I carried nothing to avoid suspicion. The checkpoints were tense, but I stayed composed.”
“It’s like a special operation for every child,” said Mykola Kuleba, Save Ukraine’s founder and former Ukrainian children’s ombudsman. “We don’t work with Russian authorities or officials in occupied zones, because collaboration is perilous.” Kuleba claimed that once Moscow identifies a child as a target, it will go to extreme lengths to stop their return.
A Mother’s Fight for Her Sons
Yulia Dvornychenko experienced this firsthand. In 2021, she was detained in Torez, a town in eastern Ukraine under pro-Russian control since 2014. Accused of being a spy, she was forced to sign a fabricated confession to secure her sons’ release. Mark, then 9, and Danylo, 17, were threatened with placement in a Russian orphanage. Dvornychenko’s partner was arrested alongside her, intensifying the pressure.
“I told him it meant he was coming home,” she recalled. “I knew what happened during those (exchanges) – they took them away and left us with nothing.”
After an 18-month detention, Dvornychenko was freed in a prisoner-of-war exchange. Yet her sons’ return proved elusive. Russian authorities first offered Mark back in the deal, but Ukraine resisted, fearing her re-arrest. Danylo, meanwhile, had already slipped into Moscow to avoid conscription. Dvornychenko’s struggle highlights the challenges of reclaiming children from territories controlled by Moscow, as every step is fraught with risk and bureaucratic hurdles.