Ukrainian orphans taste freedom after fleeing Russian occupation
Kyiv, UkraineReuters There it was, on a terrace behind a Kyiv cafe. A ping pong table. After nearly a year and a half locked away in hiding under Russian occupation, followed by a daring escape last month, Ilona Pavliuk, 16, could hardly believe it was OK to just stop and play. “People are so nice […]
Ukrainians forced to become Russian citizens, US-backed research finds
Amsterdam, The NetherlandsReuters Ukrainians living in Russian-occupied territory are being forced to assume Russian citizenship or face harsh retaliation, including possible deportation or detention, US-backed research published on Wednesday said. Yale University researchers said that as part of a plan by Moscow to assert authority over Ukrainians, residents of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia […]
Ukraine vows never to forget or forgive on Bucha anniversary
Bucha, Ukraine Reuters President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday Ukraine would never forgive Russian troops responsible for alleged atrocities in Bucha as the town near Kyiv marked the anniversary of its recapture after 33 days of occupation. Ukrainian forces took back control of the small towns of Bucha and Irpin to the north-west of Kyiv […]
Ukraine vows never to forget or forgive on Bucha anniversary
Bucha, Ukraine Reuters President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday Ukraine would never forgive Russian troops responsible for alleged atrocities in Bucha as the town near Kyiv marked the anniversary of its recapture after 33 days of occupation. Ukrainian forces took back control of the small towns of Bucha and Irpin to the north-west of Kyiv […]
Ukraine has brought back 307 children from occupied territories – ombudsman
Reuters Ukraine has brought 307 children out of Russia-occupied territories, the country’s human rights ombudsman said on Monday, including an eight-year-old boy who was recently reunited with his grandmother. Ukraine’s authorities estimate more than 16,000 children have been deported to Russia since the start of the war a year ago. Russia has said it has […]
Ukrainians say they were pressured to register babies as Russian during occupation
Kherson, Ukraine Reuters The moment her grand-daughter was born, Olha Lukina, 65, rushed to a registry office. It was one of the last still providing Ukrainian citizenship for newborns in the southern city of Kherson which was then under Russian occupation. Baby Kateryna became Ukraine’s newest citizen that day in May, born into one of […]
Despite dashed hopes, some in Ukrainian city Kherson refuse to leave
Kherson, Ukraine Reuters Vladyslav Antoniuk felt euphoric three months ago when he returned to his home city Kherson, the day Ukrainian troops rolled back in and jubilant residents waved blue and yellow flags in the main square to celebrate. The recapture of the only regional capital Russia had seized during its invasion was the biggest […]
Life and death in shattered Mariupol – a survivor’s tale of war in Ukraine
Mariupol, Russian-controlled Ukraine Reuters Shells were exploding nearby but Tatiana Bushlanova didn’t flinch when she spoke to Reuters in front of the shattered remains of her home in Mariupol last May. Fighting in the port city has long since ended but the pensioner is still struggling to take in the enormity of what has happened. […]
UN refugee chief: Russia violating principles of child protection in Ukraine
Kyiv, Ukraine Reuters Russia is violating the “fundamental principles of child protection” in wartime by giving Ukrainian children Russian passports and putting them up for adoption, the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, chief told Reuters in an interview. Speaking at the UNHCR offices in Kyiv following a six-day tour of Ukraine, Filippo Grandi said President Volodymyr […]
Ukraine’s missing: A woman’s harrowing quest to find her family
CLODAGH KILCOYNE, of Reuters, reports on the plight of those who are seeking news of loved ones who have gone missing in the midst of the conflict in Ukraine…