Ukrainian youth, deported by Russians as children, share their experiences in a German state parliament. Valeriia Sydorova, now 19 years old, describes how at age 15 she came under occupation and was then taken to Crimea. Another girl, Veronika Vlasova, recounts a year spent in Russia and a dramatic attempt to regain freedom, which was prevented by Russian services.

Deportation of a teenager to Crimea

Valeriia Sydorova was taken from an occupied city and ended up in a camp in annexed Crimea, where she was subjected to forced indoctrination.

Escape through minefields

After over a year, Sydorova escaped from the camp and made her way to Ukraine alone, crossing dangerous mined areas.

Attempt to retrieve the second girl

The story of Veronika Vlasova shows how Russian services prevented her departure to her grandmother, despite formal arrangements.

Testimony in a German parliament

Sydorova testified before the Landtag in Hanover, which is part of broader documentation of Russian war crimes.

Valeriia Sydorova was 15 years old when Russian troops occupied her hometown in early March 2022. As she reports, tanks appeared by late morning, and Russians set up checkpoints. „Du verstehst, du hast keine Wahl. Du bist ein Kind und kannst nichts tun.” (You understand, you have no choice. You are a child and can do nothing.) — Valeriia Sydorova After the occupation began, her life quickly changed. She was deported and ended up in a camp in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. She spent over a year there, subjected, according to her account, to forced indoctrination. Mass deportations of civilians, including children, from occupied territories are considered a war crime under the Geneva Convention. The International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants in 2023 against Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian president's commissioner for children's rights, for alleged illegal deportations of Ukrainian children. Sydorova managed to escape from the camp. Her journey back to Ukraine led through dangerous, mined areas, which she crossed alone. When she saw the Ukrainian flag and soldiers, she burst into tears. „Als ich die ukrainische Fahne gesehen habe und unsere Soldaten, da bin ich in Tränen ausgebrochen.” (When I saw the Ukrainian flag and our soldiers, I burst into tears.) — Valeriia Sydorova Now 19-year-old Sydorova presented her testimony before the Landtag, the state parliament, in Hanover, Germany. Her statements were translated into German. The articles also cite the story of another girl, Veronika Vlasova. On March 6, 2023, she hoped her nightmare would end because her grandmother came to pick her up from a refugee center in Russia to take her back to Ukraine. Veronika spent a year away from her mother. However, in the evening, three men, likely Russian service officers, arrived at the center and prevented the departure, intimidating the grandmother. These stories illustrate a broader, systematic practice of deporting Ukrainian children, which is the subject of investigations by international justice institutions.[{"dataISO": "2022-03-06T04:00", "data": "March 6, 2022, approx. 04:00", "tytul": "Start of occupation", "opis": "Russian troops enter Sydorova's hometown, explosions are heard."}, {"dataISO": "2022-03-06T11:00", "data": "March 6, 2022, late morning", "tytul": "Establishment of control", "opis": "Russian tanks in the city, soldiers set up checkpoints."}, {"dataISO": "2022-03", "data": "March 2022", "tytul": "Deportation to Crimea", "opis": "Sydorova, as a 15-year-old, is taken to a camp in annexed Crimea."}, {"dataISO": "2023", "data": "2023", "tytul": "Stay in the camp", "opis": "She spends over a year in the camp, subjected to forced indoctrination."}, {"dataISO": "2023", "data": "2023", "tytul": "Escape and return", "opis": "She escapes alone, crosses mined territory and reaches Ukrainian soil."}]

Mentioned People

  • Valeriia Sydorova — 19-year-old Ukrainian woman deported as a child, who testified before the Landtag in Hanover
  • Veronika Vlasova — Ukrainian girl who spent a year in Russia before an attempt was made to retrieve her