Hanna Samyschliaeva takes out her cell phone and shows photos of her son Anton. The pictures are all she has left of him. In the fall of 2022, the then 20-year-old was kidnapped by Russian soldiers from a facility for children and young adults with severe disabilities in Oleschky.
“At that time, a nurse from Skadovsk contacted me,” recalls Zamyshliaeva. The woman sent a voice message warning not to write back or call because the Russian secret service FSB closely monitors phones and there are harsh penalties. "She told me that the minors were in Skadovsk. And Anton was even in Strilkove." Skadowsk is about 60 kilometers south of Oleschky and Strilkove almost 200 kilometers southeast.
The Russian authorities, who keep Oleshky under their control, justified the relocation of the residents by citing the fighting in the region. At that time, in the fall of 2022, the Ukrainian army had just liberated the regional capital Kherson from the occupiers.
But as a result of the transfer, parents and legal guardians lose contact with the children. "Their names were changed. The documents and medical examination reports were completely scattered," explains Mariam Lambert. She heads the Dutch NGO Emile Foundation and has been dealing with the abduction of Ukrainian children by Russian authorities for years.
It was "really difficult" to find the deportees, reports Lambert - they were first moved to Penza, "deep into the Russian Federation", then to Skadovsk and Strilkove - the places that the caller had also named to Hanna Zamyshliaeva. One from the boarding school in Oleschky was given to a Russian family, a Russian soldier in Crimea.
"It's about erasing Ukrainian identity"
The case of the home in Oleschky is particularly complicated, says Lambert. Many residents with mental and physical disabilities were already of age at the time of their transfer. They are therefore considered adults by the Russian authorities, even though they are not of legal age due to their state of health.
"The goal was to erase this Ukrainian generation, Ukrainian culture and identity. And that includes children with disabilities." According to Lambert, the point is not that they could be of any use. "It's about damaging Ukraine so much that it slowly disappears."
After years of uncertainty, without any information or even a sign of life from her child, mother Hanna Samyshliaeva suddenly receives a call from the office of the Ukrainian Human Rights Ombudsman.
He told her that the Russian side had made contact. "Anton was in a very critical condition and I had to travel to the occupied territories, assess his condition and give permission for his repatriation to Ukraine. I thought it was a joke at the time."
Zamyshliaeva does not travel to the Russian-occupied territories. She believes it's a trap - because she doesn't receive any evidence that it's really her son or that he's even still alive.
Ukrainian authorities overwhelmed
According to experts, the actions of the Ukrainian authorities show that they are overwhelmed by the diverse challenges of the war. "It cannot be right that a mother who has gone through something absolutely terrible should be asked to bear the burden and responsibility and go to Russia - completely without protection," says Lambert.
Most mothers who went there had to be interviewed by the FSB, which was absolutely traumatizing. Lambert and her organization are therefore calling for a real return mechanism. "One that is very affordable and transparent and that ensures that independent organizations like the Red Cross and UNICEF are part of this humanitarian corridor that we are talking about."
After years of meticulous work, the Emile Foundation managed to locate 46 of 69 people abducted from the home - in the Russian-occupied territories and Russia. Anton, the organization is sure, is still in Strilkowe. Many have now received a Russian passport. The chances of bringing them back to Ukraine are slim. This would require a third country to put pressure on Russia, says Lambert.
