(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Kidnapped by Russia: A Ukrainian mother rescues her children and flees to Switzerland [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-09 Annieli we miss you and hope that nothing has happened to you. In the meantime, here is a report about abducted Ukrainian children. In advance, a warning to speed readers: documented here in a unique 33-minute video is the kidnapping of a child injured in the bombing of Izyum to a Moscow hospital, where he is led to believe he is the only survivor of his family and where he is to be adopted by a doctor, and the attempt by a child trafficker to specifically kidnap the daughters of the family. «Russians systematically abduct Ukrainian children and teenagers from war zone to make them Russian.» «Child abductions: International Criminal Court in The Hague issues arrest warrant for suspected war crimes against President Putin.» Headlines like this have been rushing through Western news portals for months. Olena Dudnik knows what this really means for those affected, what pain and fears they endure. The 42-year-old Ukrainian now lives in Switzerland with her seven children. She originally comes from the town of Izyum in eastern Ukraine. Her mother was killed in an explosion there. Her son Andri survived, but the Russians took him to Moscow, badly injured. Olena Dudnik grabbed her other children, wanted to free Andri – and in the process fell into the clutches of a child trafficker herself, who also wanted to take her five underage daughters away from her. Swiss Tamedia's research desk and video team interviewed Olena Dudnik and her family for hours, visited her former home in Izyum, found the air-raid shelter where she lived with her children and spoke to witnesses of her escape. The result was a reconstruction of the escape and a testimony about the fate of her children, who were directly affected by the war. In the following video Ukrainian, German and English are spoken, the subtitles are in German. If you change the subtitles to English in Youtube, only the parts in German will be translated: Youtube is obviously overwhelmed with this situation. But below follows a transcript of the German subtitles in English: open the report in a new tab or print the transcript to follow the video. But first try if only I have this problem with my browser. Open the video in Youtube to give the authors the feedback they deserve: Swiss Tamedia Research Desk: Research: Olha Petriv, Bernhard Odehnal, Oliver Zihlmann; Production, camera, editing: Boris Gygax, Aline Bavier, Olha Petriv, Adrian Panholzer; Tamedia Video. 00:00 Prologue: The Dudnik Family; Olena, the mother, Andri her son, Diana her daughter Andri: I was on my way home with my grandmother when we heard several explosions. We should have quickly laid down on the ground, but we did not make it, I only remember the operating table in the hospital of Izyum. A doctor and my mother were trying to help me. Olena: For some reason I was sure: if my children are with me, I can protect them. I was sure that as a mother I could save them. Andri: The most terrifying thing was my mother's emotions and screams. That was the most painful thing. Olena: I came in the morning and the doctor said, «I remember you, your son is in Moscow». I asked, «Why in Moscow?» The answer: «Don't worry, everything will be fine, you'll see». Volodimir Selensky: Thousands of children were kidnapped, torn from their lives, separated from their families and taken to Russia. Olena: I lost everything. Dubravka Šuica, EU Vice-President for Democracy and Demography: We vehemently condemn the kidnappings and abductions of Ukrainian children. These join the list of Russian war crimes. Bernhard Odehnal, Reporter Research Desk Tamedia: Thousands of Ukrainian children have been kidnapped by Russia in the war so far. They are to be «russified». That is, they are to grow up as Russian children and forget their Ukrainian origins. How such kidnappings take place in concrete terms is shown to us, for example, by this video posted on Telegram by a Russian MP, Igor Kastyukevich. We see on it how the Russian army evacuates an orphanage in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson. The children are put on a bus. [Woman in the video: «Their family names are to be sewn on the jackets».] Allegedly, the bus takes them to the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula. In the video, the Russian MP stages himself as a rescuer, Ukrainian authorities, on the other hand, call the action a «kidnapping». Andri was also a victim of this crime. He was seriously injured and taken to Moscow by the Russian army. What happened next is a simply unbelievable story. The Dudnik family tells it to us. How the mother freed her son Andri on her own. How she and her five daughters fell into the clutches of a child trafficker and how – in the midst of the chaos of war – she managed to escape to Switzerland with her children. On the one hand, these experiences represent the cruelty of war. But the story also gives hope. Uetikon am See, Zurich, May 2023: let's start from the beginning: Olena is a nurse and single mother. She has other children besides Andri: a biological daughter and seven foster children, all of whom she took from the orphanage and adopted. The eldest daughter is grown up, she lives in Poland. We visit the Dudnik family in Zurich. The traumatic experiences in Ukraine still don't let go of Olena's mother. Olena: I don't sleep well. I suffer from insomnia. I am thinking all the time, remembering. Bernhard Odehnal: The planes flying over Lake Zurich bring back memories of the war for her. Diana: This noise reminds me of the first days of the war, when our city was attacked. Everything started with air raids. I told my mother that there would be war. But she didn't believe me. On February 23, I was at school when the military helicopters flew over Izyum. I realized that something bad was going to happen. Olena: The planes make the same noise as those we heard when we looked out from the 5th floor of our apartment building. It brings back memories of the beginning of the war and how we thought only about surviving until the next morning. 04:56 Chapter 1: Izyum. An explosion tears the family apart Bernhard Odehnal: At the time of these events, Olena was living with her children, then between 9 and 17 years old, in her Ukrainian hometown of Izyum, near the Russian border. Olena: At the end of February, the Russian planes came at three or four in the morning. They dropped bombs not far from us. We felt the explosions well, our apartment shook. From then on, for three weeks, we were bombed several times a day. Diana: When I heard the first explosions, we looked for a shelter. It took us a while to find it. Very close by, that's where we went. Bernhard Odehnal: Olena works in Izyum at the local hospital. When Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February 2022, the Dudniks fled from the hail of bombs into a cellar near their apartment block. They then live there, along with other people, for months. The journalist Olha Petriv does research for us on the spot and looks for traces of the family in the destroyed Izyum. She finds the aforementioned cellar that Olena told us about. And she meets a friend of the family. Volodimir Zabara, friend and neighbor of Olena: They lived here in this room, with the children and their mother. Here they slept or sat on the armchair. It is chaos now, but at that time it was quite cozy. They had everything with them, including pillows. Actually, they slept here everywhere. Especially during the bombardments. We cooked food outside on campfires. Olha Petriv: Did the children draw that? Wolodimir Zabara: Yes, exactly. Bernhard Odehnal: After a fierce battle lasting several weeks, the Russian army was able to completely occupy Izyum on April 1, 2022. But the city was in ruins. Around 80 percent of all buildings were damaged or completely destroyed Olena was able to continue working in the hospital, but there were now hardly any resources to treat illnesses and injuries. And then came the day that changed the Dudnik family's life in the middle of the war in one fell swoop and forever. Olena: On April 30, my mother and Andri came to my workplace. In the hospital we had a generator with which everyone was charging their cell phones. Andri: I was on my way home with my grandmother when we heard several explosions. I realized that we should throw ourselves to the ground. Olena: On the way back, I heard an explosion, right behind my back. After this explosion came two more. A guy came up to me and said, «There are many wounded». Andri: I pulled my grandmother by the hand to make us lie down on the ground, but we didn't make it. I was lying there unconscious. When I woke up, I tried to get up. But I couldn't. I couldn't feel my legs. I tried to sit up. Then I looked into the glassy eyes of my grandmother. And I realized that I could no longer help her. Bernhard Odehnal: And then the seriously injured Andri was taken to the local hospital by Russian soldiers. Olena: In wheelchairs we brought the wounded to the hospital. I gave first aid. Russian soldiers brought a wounded man. Andri: The worst thing was the emotions and the cries of my mother.that was the most painful. Olena: I ran down the street hoping that my mother was still in the basement. Twenty meters from our house I saw someone lying under a cloth. I lifted the cloth, it was my mother. Her eyes were open and looking at the sky. I saw the fear in her eyes. There were Russians standing there. I screamed «Why? My mother never hurt anyone. She always took care of everyone». I screamed so loudly that a young soldier started to cry. Bernhard Odehnal: The death of his mother was a shock. Soon the next one followed for Olena. Andri was transferred to a Russian military hospital nearby because of his severe injuries. But when Olena went to visit him there the next morning, he had disappeared. Olena: When I got there the next morning, the doctor was standing outside and said, «Oh, I remember you! Your boy is in Moscow». I asked, «Why in Moscow? Without a phone, without documents, without me!» The answer, «Don't worry, everything will be fine, you will know everything!» From that moment I knew only that he was in Moscow. Bernhard Odehnal: Andri was abducted to Moscow. What happened to the Dudnik family has a system, says Ukrainian politician Maria Mezentseva. She is a member of the Ukrainian parliament and heads her country's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Maria Mezentseva, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament: What has been registered as forcible deportation or forcible displacement of civilians since 2014 is now officially considered genocide. This is also confirmed by the recent warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, specifically concerning the unlawful expulsion of Ukrainian children by Russian authorities. Bernhard Odehnal: The Russians are mainly looking for orphans, half-orphans and children from difficult backgrounds. Because in these cases, less resistance can be expected from their environment. Andri is a foster child and his mother is a single parent. That is probably why he was abducted. Children who have made it back report brutal treatment, including psychological and physical abuse. Maria Mezentseva: They were tortured in such a way that they were forced to speak Russian, they were forced not to speak Ukrainian, not to use Ukrainian symbols, to erase our identity. They were not fed well, they were beaten. I suppose there could be cases of sexual abuse. Bernhard Odehnal: MP Maria Mezentseva sees brutality as a way to break Ukrainian children, erase their origins, and ultimately turn them against their own country. Maria Mezentseva: Another attempt by Russia is to possibly recruit these children for the so-called Young Army, brainwash them and then use them as a tool against Ukraine. Bernhard Odehnal: The Ukrainian government is looking for the abducted children. On the Internet platform "Children of War" it publishes thousands of names and dates of birth of the disappeared. Maria Mezentseva: 20,000 requests have been made by family members. These are parents, relatives and other people who know the children. They have been forcibly relocated to Russia by the Russian authorities. 14:00 Chapter 2: On the border with Russia. The rescue attempt Olena: For one and a half months I knew nothing about him. Bernhard Odehnal: These are days of fear and uncertainty that the Dudnik family experiences. The Russian soldiers do not give any information about Andri's whereabouts. Andri himself cannot remember exactly what happened to him in Moscow. He was in a Moscow hospital and received strong anesthetics. Andri: It was as if everything was in a fog or in a kind of intoxication. I got four injections of morphine. And then I had two operations in Moscow. Bernhard Odehnal: But it quickly became apparent how Russia deals with abducted children: as soon as they woke up, they tried to turn Andri's opinion about Ukraine around. Very subtly at first... Andri: Most people treated me with compassion and helped me a lot. Some there believed the propaganda and tried to tell me how terrible Ukraine was and how badly they treated people. Bernhard Odehnal: ... then very directly: Andri: I was persistently suggested to apply for a Russian passport because then I would have privileges. Bernhard Odehnal: The staff at the Moscow hospital now simply claim that Olena is dead. With the help of fake news on social media, Andri is to be convinced of a better future in Russia. Andri: It was posted on social media that my mother died with my family and that I was the only one who survived. Bernhard Odehnal: In this chat, which is said to be from neighbors of the Dudnik family, the following is written: «I just talked to a guy who lives nearby. He said that Olena and some of her children were killed.» Andri: And although I told the doctors that it wasn't true, they told me I was just traumatized. I was to be adopted by a doctor in the Moscow hospital who treated me well. Bernhard Odehnal: In Izyum at this time Olena is still desperately looking for Andri. But in the destroyed village there is neither cell phone reception nor Internet. Only after weeks does Olena hear the rumor that there is sometimes cell phone reception on a hill near Izyum. Olena: People went there to get reception. But I was too afraid. Bernhard Odehnal: But on that hill civilians are shot again and again by the Russians, just because they try to talk on the phone with their neighbors. But at some point the concern for Andri becomes stronger than the fear from the Russians. Olena ventures up the hill. And as soon as she gets reception, she receives a message from a friend. She had seen a photo of Andri on social media by chance. Olena: Then I got this message: a screenshot with Andri's photo, with Andri's passport and the text: «This boy in Moscow in a certain hospital is looking for his mother. He has a back injury.» Bernhard Odehnal: It was the mother of Andri's bedmate in Moscow who photographed Andri's passport and posted the photo on social media. She had hopes that his relatives would be able to find him that way. Olena: At that moment I was just happy. Because I now knew his address. Bernhard Odehnal: For Olena, it's clear: she has to go to Moscow. But after all that has happened, it is impossible for her to leave her other children behind in Izyum. In search of help, she finally makes the acquaintance of Wanja. But this man later almost becomes her undoing. What Olena doesn't know at the time is that Vanya is a child trafficker and he is after her five daughters. On the evening of June 15, 2022, Vanya comes to her house and informs her that they will leave for Moscow the next morning. Without their son Kostya. Olena: Our suitcases were always packed. We were ready to escape. Vanya just said, «I'll take only the five girls and you. After that I will also get Kostya and bring him to you». Kostya is already grown up. Our neighbors could take care of him. Then we left. Vanya was recommended to me by a friend. It was said: «We know him, don't worry». Bernhard Odehnal: The meeting between Olena and the alleged volunteer Vanya is arranged by a woman named Inesa, who herself wants to go to Moscow with Vanya. We want to know more about this mysterious man and therefore call Inesa. Inesa Maznitsia: Hello! Olha Petriv: I see you! Inesa Maznitsia: I knew Vanya before we went to Moscow together. I worked as a decorator and decorated parties for his children. We would never have believed that Vanya could do such a thing, he is also a father and a Ukrainian. Olena: We drove to the border together. Vanya assured me that everything was fine and we would also go to Moscow together. But when I saw him, I got a strange impression. On the way to Moscow he kept taking pictures of us. I didn't understand what he was doing. Bernhard Odehnal: At that time Izyum is occupied territory. It is possible to travel to Russia, but it is difficult and full of dangers. The Dudniks leave by car from Vanya. Inesa Maznitsia is also with them. She remembers the trip. Olha Petriv: What did the road to Russia look like? Were you afraid to go there? Inesa Maznitsia: Of course we were afraid to go to Russia. But we didn't see much on the way, we were met by Russian convoys, tanks and Ural trucks. The road led through fields and there was dust everywhere. Bernhard Odehnal: At the border crossing they are controlled by the Russian secret service, Inesa tells us. But they can cross the border surprisingly easily. And then suddenly Vanya makes demands. Olena: After we had passed the border post, Vanya said to me: «We will leave the children in the foster home and I will take only you with me to Moscow». Bernhard Odehnal: Vanya tries to separate the five daughters from their mother. But Olena is determined. She will not leave her children in the clutches of Vanya. Olena tells that at that time at the border she almost despaired. Olena: I panicked and said, «Either I go back with the children or they all go to Moscow». Bernhard Odehnal: Shortly, she stops another car and asks the driver to take her and her daughters. In this situation, Vanya gives up. He lets Olena get back in the car with her family and Inesa and drives them to Moscow. Later, Vanya admits to Inesa that he works for a Russian. Later it will turn out that he is an influential politician. Inesa Maznitsia: I forgot his name... Vanya talked about a man in Russia who was helpful and would take care of the children. He told me that now he will take care of a bigger car, a big bus. He kept telling me that he had to get many children from Izyum, 70 children. I thought that Vanya was bringing people to Russia who had booked and paid for such a trip. But after the liberation of Izyum I understood that his task was to kidnap children. 22:20 Chapter 3: The long-awaited reunion Olena: Right after arriving in Moscow we went to the hospital to see Andri. Andri: Even the day before she arrived, I wondered if she would come to Moscow. Olena: It was Saturday and they wouldn't let me into the hospital without a pass. But I begged and said that I had not seen my son for a long time. So they gave me the pass. I went to Andri's ward. There I had to put on a cap and a mask. Andri: I was playing on my cell phone. A person with a mask and cap entered. I thought she was a doctor and paid no attention to her and continued playing. Olena: Andri didn't recognize me. He thought I was from the medical staff at first. His look said, «Leave me alone». I took off my cap and mask and he yelled, «Mommy!» We hugged for a long time, everyone in the ward was crying. it was very emotional. Andri: All the feelings inside me came out all at once. I was happy. Olena: But he was still very weak, he could barely lift his arms, he couldn't even sit. Bernhard Odehnal: The doctors probably realized that Andri would not change his mind, especially now that he was reunited with his mother. Without further ado, Andri is thrown out of the hospital. This treatment is not free, the doctors are supposed to have said. Olena: It was a very hard time in Moscow. There were good people who helped us. But everyone wanted us to take Russian citizenship. But we really didn't want that. Bernhard Odehnal: The Dudnik family spends three months in Moscow. During this time they stay with a rich Russian family. Olena tells that there are also Russians who are well-disposed towards them and reject the war. To keep her head above water financially, Olena cleans apartments in Moscow. On her daily commute, she realizes how much Russian propaganda against Ukraine has taken root in the minds of Muscovites. And she reacted to it in her own unique way. Olena: People in public transport and on the street were constantly talking about Ukraine. That Ukraine was bad and that Ukrainians should be killed and destroyed. Once someone said that Ukrainians would eat each other. Then I turned around and said, «I am Ukrainian and I am eating you now». 25:18 Chapter 4: The escape to Switzerland Bernhard Odehnal: During this difficult time, Ukrainians help each other. Olena gets the advice to flee to Switzerland, because there the medical care for Andri is good. Olena: Do you want to go to Switzerland? I didn't even think about it and showed the message to Andri. He said, «Yes, Mom, I can't stand it here anymore». I wrote them that we wanted to drive. The next evening we set off. Bernhard Odehnal: We are not allowed to reveal how exactly they made it to Switzerland. They are secret routes leading out of Russia. And they are still being used. Olena: We drove four days. It was very difficult with Andri. But I had a good medical education. That's why we made it without medication. That's how we got to Switzerland. Bernhard Odehnal: In Switzerland, Andri was taken into the care of senior physician Susanne Friedl at the Balgrist University Hospital. His body is still badly marked. Susanne Friedl: Well fitting to an explosion trauma, possibly with cluster munitions, would be the metal splinters here in the chest area, which we can still see well here. Here, here and here. And also in the area of the extremities. Here we see in the lower leg on the left side a relatively large piece that is near the joint. But fortunately this has not brought any discomfort. Bernhard Odehnal: Despite these massive injuries, there is also positive news: Susanne Friedl: We would have expected that after the severe trauma and the history with the loss in the closest family circle, the patient would show post-traumatic stress disorder. Actually, he did not show that. All in all, he has made an amazing development. He was then discharged here, psychologically stable and motivated to integrate, with the desire to learn German, . Bernhard Odehnal: In May, Andri left the Balgrist Clinic, and since then he has been living in refugee accommodation in Zurich. The Dudnik family is still waiting for accommodation in a wheelchair accessible apartment. So that they can finally live together again under one roof. 28:03 Epilogue: The child traffickers Bernhard Odehnal: In Ukraine, the Dudniks' hometown of Izyum is liberated by the Ukrainian army in September 2022. The Russian occupiers had to withdraw. Presumably, the collaborator Vanya has also left the town. Where he is now, and whether he still wants to bring Ukrainian children to Russia, we do not know. Inesa Maznitsia: I suspect that he is hiding now. There are rumors that he is in France with his family. He sent me photos of the Eiffel Tower by mistake. He then quickly deleted them again. Bernhard Odehnal: But the Ukrainian authorities have now become active. This is shown by our research on the ground. Our colleague Olha Petriv meets the deputy mayor Volodimir Matsokin. He has gathered information about «Ivan», which is actually Vanya's first name. Volodimir Matsokin: I knew immediately that Ivan is a resident of our city, his family lived in Izyum, he also has children. He was already living in Moscow at that time, although he was constantly traveling to Izyum to visit his family. Bernhard Odehnal: Vanya was active in different areas. Volodimir Matsokin: I think that he was active not only in Isyum, but also in other occupied territories. Bernhard Odehnal: According to the statements of Deputy Mayor Matsokin, Vanya worked for a politician who is not unknown in Russia. Volodimir Matsokin: Vanya was interested in children and called the name Pavel Astakhov. So we can see a connection here: The former Commissar for Children's Rights of the Russian President. A Russian politician and Ukrainian children. Bernhard Odehnal: For Matsokin, the case is clear: the Russians change the names of the children, they change their birthplace and they change their nationality. It is a policy of genocide, in that they want to assimilate Ukrainian citizens into Soviet people. Dubravka Šuica, EU Vice-President for Democracy and Demography: The European Union strongly condemns Russia's violations of international law and international human rights law, particularly with regard to the protection of children. We call on Russia to immediately stop the deportations of children, end the practice of adoptions and return the children. Volodimir Zelensky: We know that we have to return them. We know that we have to restore the rights and safety of baller Ukrainian children. Our state is making every effort to return Ukrainian children to a normal life. To bring our children home to Ukraine. Maria Mezentseva, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament: We suspect that there are cases in the European Union and in Switzerland and elsewhere when we talk about the return of the children. Therefore, we call on all 46 member states of the Council of Europe, which support this resolution, to bring these cases to the table: We have to stop it. Bernhard Odehnal: And what will become of the Dudnik family now? Only Andri can imagine staying in Switzerland to study. But Olena Dudnik has other plans. Olena: It's scary now to think about the future, to plan something. I have to live in the here and now. I understand that. I want to go home. That's my most important plan. First, Andri has to get better. Then I want to go home. And I want to go to my mother's grave. Svitlana Bilous 1959 - 2022 [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/9/2198120/-Kidnapped-by-Russia-A-Ukrainian-mother-rescues-her-children-and-flees-to-Switzerland?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/