Since the start of the full-scale war, thousands of Ukrainian orphans and unaccompanied minors have been deported to Russia and placed in care homes or with foster families. Oleksandr Yakushchenko was among them. Born and raised in Ukraine’s Kherson region, the teenager spent the last year of his life with a foster family in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai. At 18, he died by suicide. His death was not publicly reported anywhere — not on social media, in local news, or by child welfare authorities. The independent outlet iStories spoke with those who knew him to learn more about his life and death. Meduza shares his story.
The world needs to stop using “deported” to describe these kids.
They were kidnapped. They were not “deported,” because you can’t be deported to a country you weren’t previously a citizen of. This poor kid was stolen from his home, sent to a shithole, denied the ability to go home, and eventually decided life wasn’t worth it.
Kidnapped. Use the right word, everyone.
Genocide is another proper word for what Russia is doing.
Yeah WTF with that “deported” nonsense. I had to read between the lines to understand what was actually happening.