{"id":2247,"date":"2022-12-05T12:11:04","date_gmt":"2022-12-05T12:11:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=2247"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:36:29","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:36:29","slug":"ukrainians-hid-orphaned-children-from-russian-deportation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/politics\/ukrainians-hid-orphaned-children-from-russian-deportation\/2022\/12\/05\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukrainians hid orphaned children from Russian deportation"},"content":{"rendered":"

KHERSON,<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> (AP)<\/span> Dec,5-\u00a0Hours<\/span> after<\/span> Russia<\/span> invaded<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> in<\/span> February,<\/span> medical<\/span> workers<\/span> at<\/span> a<\/span> children’s<\/span> hospital<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> south<\/span> began<\/span> secretly<\/span> planning<\/span> how<\/span> to<\/span> save<\/span> a<\/span> baby.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> Russians<\/span> were<\/span> suspected<\/span> of<\/span> confiscating<\/span> the<\/span> orphans<\/span> and<\/span> sending<\/span> them<\/span> to<\/span> Russia,<\/span> so<\/span> staff<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> regional<\/span> children’s<\/span> hospital<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Kherson<\/span> began<\/span> falsifying<\/span> medical<\/span> records<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> orphans<\/span> to<\/span> make<\/span> them<\/span> look<\/span> sick<\/span> and<\/span> incapacitated.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“We<\/span> deliberately<\/span> wrote<\/span> false<\/span> information<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> children<\/span> were<\/span> sick<\/span> and<\/span> could<\/span> not<\/span> be<\/span> transported.<\/span> Olga<\/span> Pilyarska,<\/span> head<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> intensive<\/span> care<\/span> unit.<\/span> “We<\/span> are<\/span> not<\/span> known<\/span> (to<\/span> the<\/span> Russians).<\/span> I<\/span> was<\/span> worried..<\/span> (but)<\/span> we<\/span> decided<\/span> to<\/span> save<\/span> the<\/span> children<\/span> at<\/span> all<\/span> costs.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>During<\/span> the<\/span> war,<\/span> Russians<\/span> were<\/span> accused<\/span> of<\/span> deporting<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> children<\/span> to<\/span> Russia<\/span> or<\/span> the<\/span> Russian-occupied<\/span> territories<\/span> and<\/span> raising<\/span> them<\/span> as<\/span> their<\/span> own.At<\/span> least<\/span> 1,000<\/span> children<\/span> were<\/span> killed<\/span> during<\/span> the<\/span> eight-month<\/span> occupation<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Kherson<\/span> region<\/span> by<\/span> Russia.<\/span> were<\/span> confiscated<\/span> from<\/span> schools<\/span> and<\/span> orphanages<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Kherson<\/span> region,<\/span> local<\/span> authorities<\/span> said.<\/span> Her<\/span> whereabouts<\/span> are<\/span> still<\/span> unknown.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> the<\/span> village<\/span> of<\/span> Stepanivka<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> outskirts<\/span> of<\/span> Kherson,<\/span> the<\/span> director<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> social<\/span> and<\/span> psychological<\/span> rehabilitation<\/span> center<\/span> Volodymyr<\/span> Her<\/span> Sahaidak<\/span> also<\/span> forged<\/span> her<\/span> documents<\/span> to<\/span> hide<\/span> 52<\/span> orphans<\/span> and<\/span> vulnerable<\/span> children.<\/span> The<\/span> 61-year-old<\/span> left<\/span> some<\/span> of<\/span> his<\/span> children<\/span> with<\/span> his<\/span> seven<\/span> employees,<\/span> others<\/span> were<\/span> taken<\/span> in<\/span> by<\/span> distant<\/span> relatives,<\/span> and<\/span> some<\/span> of<\/span> his<\/span> older<\/span> children<\/span> stayed<\/span> with<\/span> him,<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span> Said.<\/span> “If<\/span> I<\/span> didn’t<\/span> hide<\/span> my<\/span> children,<\/span> they<\/span> would<\/span> have<\/span> taken<\/span> me<\/span> away,”<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>But<\/span> moving<\/span> them<\/span> wasn’t<\/span> easy.<\/span> After<\/span> the<\/span> Russians<\/span> occupied<\/span> Kherson<\/span> and<\/span> much<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> region<\/span> in<\/span> March,<\/span> they<\/span> began<\/span> segregating<\/span> orphans<\/span> at<\/span> checkpoints,<\/span> forcing<\/span> the<\/span> Sahaidak<\/span> to<\/span> get<\/span> creative<\/span> about<\/span> how<\/span> to<\/span> transport<\/span> the<\/span> orphans.<\/span> In<\/span> one<\/span> instance,<\/span> he<\/span> falsified<\/span> records<\/span> showing<\/span> that<\/span> a<\/span> group<\/span> of<\/span> children<\/span> were<\/span> treated<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> hospital,<\/span> taken<\/span> by<\/span> an<\/span> aunt,<\/span> and<\/span> then<\/span> taken<\/span> by<\/span> a<\/span> mother<\/span> who<\/span> was<\/span> nine<\/span> months<\/span> pregnant<\/span> and<\/span> was<\/span> waiting<\/span> for<\/span> them<\/span> across<\/span> the<\/span> river.<\/span> .<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> Sahaidak<\/span> were<\/span> able<\/span> to<\/span> fend<\/span> off<\/span> the<\/span> Russians,<\/span> but<\/span> not<\/span> all<\/span> the<\/span> children<\/span> were<\/span> so<\/span> lucky.In<\/span> October,<\/span> about<\/span> 50<\/span> children<\/span> were<\/span> evacuated<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> Kherson<\/span> Orphanage,<\/span> where<\/span> the<\/span> hospital<\/span> sent<\/span> 11<\/span> babies,<\/span> and<\/span> was<\/span> sent<\/span> to<\/span> Russia.<\/span> were<\/span> taken<\/span> to<\/span> Crimea,<\/span> which<\/span> was<\/span> illegally<\/span> annexed<\/span> in<\/span> 2014,<\/span> security<\/span> guards<\/span> and<\/span> neighbours<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> facility<\/span> told<\/span> The<\/span> Associated<\/span> Press.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Anastasia<\/span> Kovalenko,<\/span> who<\/span> lives<\/span> nearby,<\/span> said:<\/span> “A<\/span> bus<\/span> with<\/span> a<\/span> Z<\/span> (Russian<\/span> symbol<\/span> on<\/span> cars)<\/span> came<\/span> and<\/span> took<\/span> her<\/span> away.”<\/span> advertisement<\/span>
\n<\/span>At<\/span> the<\/span> beginning<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> invasion,<\/span> local<\/span> relief<\/span> groups<\/span> tried<\/span> to<\/span> hide<\/span> the<\/span> children<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> church,<\/span> but<\/span> months<\/span> later<\/span> the<\/span> Russians<\/span> found<\/span> them,<\/span> took<\/span> them<\/span> back<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> orphanage<\/span> and<\/span> evacuated<\/span> them,<\/span> locals<\/span> said.<\/span> rice<\/span> field.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Earlier<\/span> this<\/span> year,<\/span> the<\/span> Associated<\/span> Press<\/span> reported<\/span> that<\/span> Russia<\/span> was<\/span> trying<\/span> to<\/span> give<\/span> thousands<\/span> of<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> children<\/span> to<\/span> Russian<\/span> families<\/span> for<\/span> foster<\/span> care<\/span> or<\/span> adoption.<\/span> deported<\/span> to<\/span> Russia<\/span> or<\/span> Russian<\/span> territory,<\/span> lied<\/span> that<\/span> their<\/span> parents<\/span> did<\/span> not<\/span> want<\/span> their<\/span> children,<\/span> used<\/span> them<\/span> for<\/span> propaganda,<\/span> and<\/span> gave<\/span> them<\/span> a<\/span> Russian<\/span> family<\/span> and<\/span> Russian<\/span> citizenship.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> War<\/span> Research<\/span> Institute,<\/span> a<\/span> Washington-based<\/span> think<\/span> tank,<\/span> says<\/span> Russian<\/span> authorities<\/span> are<\/span> conducting<\/span> targeted<\/span> depopulation<\/span> campaigns<\/span> in<\/span> occupied<\/span> Ukraine,<\/span> deporting<\/span> children<\/span> under<\/span> the<\/span> guise<\/span> of<\/span> medical<\/span> rehabilitation<\/span> and<\/span> adoption<\/span> programs.<\/span> says<\/span> it<\/span> does.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Russian<\/span> authorities<\/span> have<\/span> repeatedly<\/span> said<\/span> that<\/span> moving<\/span> children<\/span> to<\/span> Russia<\/span> is<\/span> to<\/span> protect<\/span> them<\/span> from<\/span> hostilities.<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> foreign<\/span> ministry<\/span> has<\/span> denied<\/span> allegations<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> state<\/span> is<\/span> confiscating<\/span> and<\/span> deporting<\/span> children.<\/span> She<\/span> said<\/span> authorities<\/span> are<\/span> looking<\/span> for<\/span> relatives<\/span> of<\/span> orphans<\/span> stranded<\/span> in<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> and<\/span> looking<\/span> for<\/span> ways<\/span> to<\/span> bring<\/span> them<\/span> home<\/span> if<\/span> possible.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) Dec,5-\u00a0Hours after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, medical workers at a children’s hospital in the south began secretly planning how to save a baby. The Russians were suspected of confiscating the orphans and sending them to Russia, so staff at the regional children’s hospital in the city of Kherson began falsifying medical […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[280,2480,2482],"tags":[76,132,154,170,174],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/orphn.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2247"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2247"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2251,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2247\/revisions\/2251"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}