Girl, 18, forced to sing Russian national anthem under scorching hot sun: how Ukrainian teenagers become Russia's hostages

An 18-year-old Ukrainian girl who had been taken to Russia against her will by her parents was forced to learn the Russian national anthem by heart and sing it under a scorching hot sun by Russian security forces at the border as she made her way back to Ukraine.

Source: Olena Rozvadovska, co-founder of the Voices of Children Foundation, at People First, an advocacy event organised by the Center for Civil Liberties

Quote from Rozvadovska: "There’s one girl, let’s call her Ivanka. She recently turned 18. She was 15 when the full-scale invasion began. She was born and raised in a city that is now occupied. Her parents sided with Russia.

Despite her parents’ support for the Russian invaders, Ivanka remained determined to stay in Ukraine. But they forced her to come with them to Russia, saying it would be 'paradise', with the chance to go to school and later university in Moscow or St Petersburg."

Details: Ivanka (name changed for security reasons) kept looking for ways to get back to Ukraine. She stayed in touch with her Ukrainian classmates and her teacher.

She refused to accept a Russian passport, even though her parents insisted.

A huge argument broke out at home. Eventually Ivanka ran away and travelled all the way from Russia to Ukraine on her own.

"The worst thing she describes is the experience of being interrogated by the Federal Security Service (FSB) when she crossed the border," Rozvadovska said. "When we meet with children like these in Kyiv, they say this is the most traumatic thing."

Ivanka was interrogated by FSB officers wearing balaclavas. After they searched her phone and found the words "Glory to Ukraine" in a text message, the interrogation intensified.

"They forced her to sing the Russian national anthem, but she didn’t know the words. They forced her to learn it under the scorching hot sun, they wouldn’t even let her stand in the shade. She was exhausted and terrified," Rozvadovska said.

Eventually, Ivanka managed to sing the Russian national anthem. One of the FSB officers sang along, but he made several mistakes – he didn’t know the words or the tune properly either – highlighting the absurdity of the situation.

Ivanka now lives in Kyiv. But according to Rozvadovska, her case is one of the "mildest" the Voices of Children Foundation has encountered.

"Many children who come back from Russia report physical violence, psychological pressure, and manipulation. They were told things like 'Nobody is waiting for you in Ukraine'," she said.

Many return with their mental health in tatters, struggling with anxiety, fear, and difficulty trusting others. Some have been in psychological rehabilitation for over a year.

"When we celebrate the return of one, two, or ten children, for them it’s only the beginning of a new chapter," Rozvadovska added.

Hundreds of children have returned to Ukraine, either independently, or with help from volunteers, or through initiatives like Bring Kids Back. But this is only a tiny fraction of the total number.

"Many of these children were taken when they were babies or toddlers. They are growing up subjected to systematic manipulation and propaganda. In Russian schools, they are completely cut off from Ukrainian identity. They are not allowed any contact with Ukraine. They are being brainwashed," Rozvadovska explained.

Human rights activist Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties and a 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner, noted that while the Ukrainian authorities report that about 19,000 children have been illegally deported, the real number could be much higher.

The Center for Civil Liberties launched the People First campaign to keep the issue of child deportations and other Russian war crimes against Ukrainians in the global political spotlight.

Read also: Deportation as a weapon: the tragic fate of children from the Oleshky boarding school

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