Russia Stole 20,000 Ukrainian Children. Here’s What’s Being Done to Bring Them Home.

20,000 Taken. 1,026 Rescued. Do the Math.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, an estimated 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported to Russia and Russian-controlled territories. Scattered across 210+ facilities spanning eleven time zones. Some shipped to Siberia. At least two sent to North Korea.

Ukraine’s 5 AM Coalition estimates the real number could reach 300,000. Russia’s own Children’s Rights Commissioner once claimed 700,000 were “relocated.”

About 2,000 have returned through various channels. Our partner, Save Ukraine, has directly rescued 1,026 through organized extraction missions: mothers traveling 3,000 miles through Belarus into Russia to physically retrieve their children. Each rescue costs $3,383.

This Is a Program, Not Collateral Damage

Putin signed a decree in May 2022 fast-tracking adoption of Ukrainian children by Russian families. By August 2025, occupation authorities built an online catalog where Russians browsed available kids: filtered by age, eye color, temperament.

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova in March 2023. In March 2026, the UN classified the deportations as crimes against humanity. The European Parliament voted 516 to 3 to call it a “genocidal strategy.”

What Russification Does to a Child

Children are forbidden from speaking Ukrainian. Birth certificates are destroyed and replaced with Russian ones. They’re enrolled in nationalist education, forced to sing the Russian anthem, marched in formation. Some handle firearms in military training camps. They’re told their families abandoned them.

Lvova-Belova appeared on camera describing how she “re-educated” a 15-year-old Ukrainian boy she adopted from Mariupol. The ICC called it a war crime.

How Rescue Missions Work

• Step 1: Extraction Prep ($181 + $152): Travel documents prepared. Mothers trained for hostile territory. Legal custody documentation assembled.
• Step 2: Travel ($2,040): Guided routes through Belarus into Russia. 3,000-mile round trip.
• Step 3: Extract: Mother arrives at facility. Proves custody. Child extracted.
• Step 4: Return ($639 lodging + $214 food + $157 contingency): Safe return via Belarus. Psychological care begins immediately.

Total per child: $3,383. Every dollar documented.

Time Is Russia’s Weapon

Every year in Russia erases more of a child’s Ukrainian identity. Three-year-olds taken in 2022 are now seven. Russia is the only home they know. Every month of delay is a month Russia wins.

Fund a Rescue

• $25 : meal for mother and child during travel
• $75 : hotel night on the road
• $152 : extraction training for one mother
• $500 : one-way travel to reach a child
• $3,383 : one complete rescue mission

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many Ukrainian children has Russia taken?

About 20,000 documented cases. Estimates range up to 300,000. The UN has verified over 1,200 from five regions.

How many have been rescued?

About 2,000 total. Save Ukraine, funded by WAAU, has directly rescued 1,026 through extraction missions.

Who runs the rescue missions?

Save Ukraine, founded by Mykola Kuleba. WAAU USA raises U.S. donations, which flow through WAAU Germany directly to Save Ukraine’s operations.

How much does it cost to rescue one child?

$3,383: covering documents, travel, lodging, food, training, legal support, and contingency.

Are donations tax-deductible?

Yes. We Are All Ukrainians USA, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3).