Russian Trafficking Victim Speaks Out
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| Ilya Matvienko |
One of the greatest tragedies of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is also one of the least talked about aspects of this war: trafficking. While Russian soldiers have raped and murdered both Ukrainian military and civilians, in their quest to eradicate Ukrainian society, Russia has also trafficked more than 30,000 Ukrainian children. While no one really knows what has happened to all of these children, judging by the atrocities committed by the Russian government on a daily basis, we can only assume the very worst. Many are being re-educated and placed with Russian families to live as Russians. Many of the youngest may never even know they are Ukrainian, may never return home to their families, or to their place of birth.
11-year-old Ukrainian boy Ilya Matvienko is a survivor of Russian trafficking. The Mariupol native recounts the horrific events he suffered at the hands of Russian government sanctioned traffickers in the following,
"There were so many bombings that, well I guess you could say they were constant - but there were no air raid sirens because there was no electricity."
Ilya and his mother were hit with a Russian bomb and wounded, his mother mortally. It was there that his mother died in his arms and the very next day, Ilya was kidnapped by Russian forces. Ilya was only 9 years old.
Ilya's grandma, Olena, found out about his abduction while watching Russian media,
"I had a huge hysterical breakdown because I found out that my daughter was killed. But knowing that Ilya was there alone, it immediately, you know, put me in my place. I started to act."
That's when Olena crossed four countries to get to her grandson and bring him home,
"And when we finally took him and crossed the border, I cried because, we were on our native land, we were home, and Ilya was with us."
The 11-year-old Ilya has a message for Americans,
"That Americans know what's happening here, that we are actually at war. Because many people, both in Europe and America, think it's all just fairy tales for children. But, in reality, it's actually happening. I wish that Americans, both the people and the government, would not close their eyes to what is happening in Ukraine and help, because if Ukraine is destroyed by these Russians, then they will destroy everyone else."
Ilya is safe at home with his grandmother, but 30,000 other children still remain kidnapped by the Russian government.
11 yr old Ilya’s mother died in his arms in 2022 after one of Russia’s ruthless genocidal attacks on Mariupol. The Russians then abducted him & forcibly took him to RU. He’s back in Ukraine. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children remain in captivity
— ArianaGic/Аріянॳць (@GicAriana) April 22, 2024
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******************READ: Russia's Secret Weapon - The Border**************************
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