The parents of 13 families in a Ukrainian village occupied by Russian forces accepted. Around 6 a.m. on August 28, a bus arrived, picked up the children and drove them from Ukraine to the camp, hundreds of miles away on Russia’s Black Sea coast. It was meant to be a three-week break. But halfway through, a Ukrainian counterattack in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine unexpectedly ended the Russian occupation of their village. The Russian forces retreated without returning the children. The mothers of two girls, one 13 and the other nine, are upset. “I’m so worried,” said Natalya Med, standing in the living room of her home in Kozacha Lopan, a rural village surrounded by fields that stretch to Ukraine’s border with Russia. On the wall are many photos of her daughter, Karina, 13, a beautiful girl with long, blond hair. Her mother described her as sensitive, talkative and fun-loving. “I just want her to come home as soon as possible so I can hug and kiss her,” she said, starting to cry, wiping away the tears that fell down her cheeks. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 0:58 Natalia’s 13-year-old daughter went to summer camp Second mother Tetiana Hlahola, 38, is also desperate for news. Her nine-year-old daughter, Polina, similarly disappeared on the holiday bus. “It’s very difficult because I don’t know what to do,” she said. “We’re asking everyone to bring our child back … I don’t know how he’s going to feel right now.” She showed a video on her husband’s cell phone of her daughter dancing. It took a few days before he left. “We hugged. We wished each other the best. We kissed and he was gone,” Tetiana said describing the moment they said goodbye. “Nobody knew it would be so hard to get her back.” Image: Polina was filmed dancing just days before she left for the Russian summer camp Russia is accused of forcibly relocating hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians during the war. There is no indication that the camp was a deliberate ploy to steal children, but Moscow does not appear to be doing much to help reunite the children still trapped. Russian forces controlling the village had told the parents that the Medvezhonok summer camp would be an idyllic break for the children, away from the shelling and rocket fire that periodically rocked the village given its border location. Natalya took a copy of a Russian newspaper home with an article about the trip and a photo of several children, including Karina, leaving for camp. “We trusted them,” said the mother. He said Karina had spent a week debating whether she should go as she did not want to leave her mother. But in the end, he decided to attend as three other friends had signed up. Read more: Military-aged Russians flee country as airfares soar, border crossings ramp up ‘Reasonable grounds’ to believe war crimes committed in Ukraine, says international court ‘We fear’: Ukrainians on the front lines as Russia strikes back in the east Recalling the last conversation, the mother said she had told Karina, “Sweetheart, don’t worry, everything will be fine.” She was crying on the bus. I was crying too. Then he was gone.” Locals in the village said that the other eleven sets of parents who sent sons and daughters to the camp decided to flee with the Russians when they retreated. Natalya said she would also gladly go to Russia to get her daughter, but only if she had a guarantee that they would be allowed to return home. “I’ll take any opportunity, any lead, if any, that could help me,” he said. She spends her time trying to get information from the Ukrainian authorities. Image: Tetiana Hlahola says she’s asking everyone to ‘bring back our child’ Tetiana does the same. He said he cannot afford to travel to Russia and does not have a passport. “I thought they [the Russians] he would deport Polina and send her home. Why do they need other people’s children?’ asked. She said she hopes Russia is not holding her daughter on purpose. “We don’t think they could be” that harsh, he said. Image: Russia ended its occupation of Kozacha Lopan Tetiana offered a message directly to her little girl, saying: “Polina, my daughter, if you see me, please don’t worry, don’t be anxious. Father and mother will bring you home. “Be a fighter. You know what those words mean… We’ll bring you back. I promise. Just don’t worry. We love you so much.” Natalia also had a message for her daughter, saying: “Daughter, I will bring you back for sure. Don’t worry. We are safe. I love you and I will definitely take you back and I will never let you go. I’m sorry you had to wait so much”.
