16-year-old boy who was forcibly deported to Russia returns to Ukraine
A 16-year-old boy from Donetsk region returns to Ukraine after being forcibly deported to Russia, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said.
“Miracles happen on St. Nicholas Day. Today, it happened to 16-year-old Serhiy, who returned to Ukraine almost eight months after he was deported to the Russian Federation,” Dmytro Lubinets wrote on Facebook.
According to Lubinets, the boy used to live near Mariupol and he lost his parents shortly before the war. After his native village had been captured by the Russians, he was taken to the city of Donetsk, and later to Russia, where he was “adopted” by a Russian family. Serhiy did not talk to the new “family”, Lubinets said.
Being in Russia the boy was looking for help on the Internet. He sent a message in one of the chatbots saying he wanted to return to Ukraine.
“Yesterday he was met at the border of Ukraine and he is happy to be finally home,” Lubinets added.
