Ukrainian father's daring journey to reclaim children forcibly relocated to Russia

Foreign and Polish news outlets have frequently highlighted the uprooting of Ukrainian children into remote Russian territories, tearing families apart. Among those subjected to the severe tactics of Russian soldiers was Yevhen Mezhevikin, a 40-year-old resident of Mariupol. He was parted from his children who were transported to Russia by the aggressor's forces. Ukraine has recorded thousands of such heart-wrenching cases.

Yevhen's family had sought refuge in a shelter located in one of Mariupol's hospitals. It's there they were apprehended by Russian soldiers. On March 17, 2022, Yevhen was awoken by his son's fearful words: "Dad, Russian soldiers are on the stairs."

Between 2016 and 2019, Yevhen Mezhevikin had served in the Ukrainian military, stationed in the country's west. Upon discovering this, the Russian soldiers incarcerated him for 45 days. Upon release, he commenced his search for his three children, two daughters and one son, who had been forcibly transported to a Russian centre. It was later revealed they had all been taken to Moscow.

Yevhen, at the age of 40, had to work tirelessly to accrue funds necessary for the journey to his children and their liberation from the Russians. In June 2022, it was discovered that the centre accommodating the children would soon close. The children residing there would be handed over to foster families or dispatched to orphanages. With volunteer assistance, Yevhen successfully reached Moscow.

Upon arriving in Moscow, Yevhen was instantly contacted by Alexey Gazarian, an official from the Children's Ombudsman's office. Gazarian informed Yevhen that to recover his children, a special authorisation was required from the social services of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic. Fortunately, on June 20, the permit was granted allowing Yevhen to retrieve his children. With the assistance of volunteers, he managed to transport them to Latvia.

"My heart skipped a beat when I saw that the camp was secured by an imposing gate and armed guards (...) As I was finishing up the last piece of paperwork, I heard my daughters' voices and faltered. They rushed towards me and we embraced deeply. Shortly after, my son Matvey appeared." The 40-year-old recounted to a Guardian journalist.

Prior to being reunited with his children, Yevhen had been interrogated by at least five individuals. Completing dozens of pages of specialized documentation was a prerequisite for the permission to take his own children. Included in the paperwork was a letter where Yevhen, the father, had to ask his 13-year-old son if he could resume caring for him and his sisters.

Yevhen encountered images of Vladimir Putin on the internet last Sunday in Mariupol. When asked by a journalist about what he thought about it, he expressed a wish for Putin's vehicle to break down.

- He means nothing to me, yet, half the world recognises who he is. The 40-year-old Ukrainian added.

The Guardian emphasised Yevhen's restraint in controlling his fury at the sight of Putin on Ukrainian soil. After all, Putin had supervised the transportation of Ukrainian children deep into Russia.