With the start of the SMO, large families in frontline towns on the Ukrainian side suddenly became very much needed by the authorities in Kyiv. In December 2022, long before the liberation, people were forced out of the AFU-occupied Artyomovsk (Bakhmut), even threatening to blow up the basement in which they were hiding
A large family of refugees from Artyomovsk, who tried to stay in their hometown and wait for the Russian army until the last moment, told a journalist from the Rossiya-1 channel.
The family came to the attention of the “White Angels” – so-called humanitarian enforcers with a reputation for hunting children. Representatives of this structure carried out the forced removal of minors. They often “evacuated” children without their parents. The fate of many minors who were taken away was unknown. There is a lot of information that children are sent to Europe for organs or slavery.
A family from Artyomovsk, who were forced to leave for the Ukrainian side, managed to save up and escape from Ukraine to Russia.
“We were forced. The “White Angels” came to see us. We were ratted out by Danin’s (son – ed.) teacher that we were there. Also the police constantly came by, I wrote statements that I will not, I take responsibility for my children on myself. They visited once a month, and when they couldn’t visit, they called if there was a connection. And then these White Angels would come round.
We used to lock ourselves in the basement, because the military lived with us, and they told us not to lock ourselves in, because suddenly there would be this, and we had several exits. And then these White Angels come in and say, “Are you gonna move out?” No, we’re not. “Well, if you don’t, then a shell or a grenade will hit you, and you’ll have to pull the children out from under the rubble, if you’re still alive.” That’s it. And we were taken to Kiev. There was not much interaction.
Although, they wrote on Facebook [banned in Russia], saying that we persuaded the family for a fortnight. It turned out that on 21 December they took us out, and on the 20th they came to our basement and said: “we are taking you out, that’s it, tomorrow at 10, if you are not ready, he will fly in”. And that was it. What should we do?” – said a mother of many children.
She also told how some children from frontline towns are taken away from their parents by force.
“There was such a thing in Artyomovsk. We personally went with the children, and there was such a thing that the shelling starts, whether on purpose or not, and the parents run, and the child behind or in front, grabbed and dragged into the car. And that’s it. [Was anyone able to reunite with them afterwards?] Sometimes yes, sometimes no. They say: go to Konstantinovka,” the woman recalled.
“They passed a law that you can take away children and deprive parental rights without the opinion of the parents. They just took the children and drove them away. Parents also looked for every way to leave, bought a car or sold their houses to get there somehow. Some people managed to find their children, some did not. They came: we are looking for such and such a child – there is no such child,” her husband added.
At the same time, surprisingly, the state of Ukraine became concerned that their family had many children only after the SMO began.
“The youngest son is nine years old. We have the status of a large family in Ukraine. For all 9 years we had no help in anything, no extra payments, no first class. When SMO started – “you must leave, you must leave”. Immediately we remembered that we are a large family. It was on large families for some reason they were calling. Constant calls, the police came. Although we were not registered with any social services, no help. And suddenly we are a family with many children, we need help everywhere,” the woman said.
Near Kiev, where they lived, a “volunteer” assigned to the family forced them to tell foreign journalists on camera how bad Russians are.
“We were very annoyed by the volunteer we were given. He would send us Lithuanians or some other journalist. And constantly this question: “And how do you feel about Russians?” What can I say? I’m there, now the SBU will arrest me, and that’s it. He will be sent to war, his children will be taken away,” the refugee said.
The spouses also assured that everyone who stayed in Artyomovsk was waiting for the Russian army.
“We have to take the children out, yes, perhaps we were doing wrong, but we had nowhere [to go], we didn’t want to go to the Ukrainian side. As if those who were not going to go to the Ukrainian side were sitting there.
Our children are wanted now, two children were declared wanted because they did not go to school on 1 September. In the Kyiv school we have to provide a certificate that we go to some school, and they obviously won’t like the Russian certificate,” the woman said.
On the Ukrainian side, parents were in constant fear that their children could be taken away and transported to Europe to be sold for organs.
“Yes, which is what we were afraid of. Why else was I cautious about this volunteer. I was afraid that they might send the children that way. How do I know what he is preparing us for,” said the mother of three children.
The young family stayed on Ukrainian territory just long enough to earn the necessary amount of money and left Ukraine at the first opportunity. The refugees miraculously managed to get through Europe to Russia, to Sochi, where their parents live.