Ukrainian Teenager Placed in Belarusian Shelter While Travelling From Occupied Territory Through Belarus

Reform.news Editorial Team · 6 November 2026, 18:13

https://reform.news/en/ukrainian-teenager-placed-in-belarusian-shelter-while-travelling-from-occupied-territory-through-belarus/

A Ukrainian teenager who lived with his father in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s Kherson Region decided to leave the occupied territory via Belarus. In Belarus, he was placed in a children’s shelter. The boy was able to reach Ukraine only on October 31.

Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported that the mother of the 16-year-old had contacted him. Her son had lived for a long time in the occupied territory with his father, who held pro-Russian views, was abusive towards the family and systematically subjected the boy to psychological pressure.

The teenager decided to leave the occupied territory on his own. When he attempted to cross the border, Belarusian border guards detained him because his father had filed a missing-person report.

The teenager was placed in a children’s shelter in Belarus, while the Russian occupation authorities decided that he must be returned to his father. His mother was given a strict requirement to appear in person at a foreign institution and collect her son within a limited period.

Ukrainian authorities helped the woman obtain an international passport through an expedited procedure. On October 31, the family was reunited in territory controlled by Ukraine.