Two more children reunited with their families
After 4 years away from their family, 2 young Ukrainian children are now back home. From locating them in a Russian database to their return and the reintegration support, the Emile Foundation continues to be behind the family all the way.
Another family finally reunited
When Russian forces took control of parts of the Kherson region (southern Ukraine) in 2022 — roughly 550 km (340 miles) from Kyiv — Natasha and Igor (names changed for security reasons) were taken too. They were just three and one years old. For years, their family lived with the uncertainty of not knowing when they would see them again.
Last week, the children finally came home to Ukraine, a moment of relief and joy, tempered by the reality of how much they’ve endured. Natasha, now 6, and Igor, now 4, are reunited with their family after 3 years apart. Our founder, Mariam Lambert, traveled to Kyiv to help with the transition, one that the Emile Foundation is proud to have played a role in.
The long process of children returns
Our investigators traced records that led to Natasha and Igor’s names in a Russian adoption database. This was a crucial step toward bringing them home, and central to the Foundation’s work. To date, we have helped authorities identify and locate more than 40 other missing children so they can be returned from Russia. We also support parents, grandparents, and siblings navigating an overwhelming cross-border process involving another government’s bureaucracy, another language, and wartime pressures.
Reunification, however, is only the beginning. In the time leading up to the children’s return, the Emile Foundation secured safe housing, arranged trauma-informed psychological care, and put financial support in place to ensure stability. In the months ahead, that support will continue. Housing, food, clothing, and counseling must be sustained. Stability has to be rebuilt.
A collaborative effort
We are profoundly grateful to the Coordination Center for Family Upbringing and Child Care Development, led by Iryna Tuliakova and established at the initiative of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska, for their extraordinary dedication and tireless coordination in every case of children returning from deportation, with essential support from partners.
This reunion was made possible by the family’s determination, the support of our donors and partners, and the continued attention of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Melania Trump, and other international leaders who have kept the return of abducted Ukrainian children on the global agenda.
Natasha and Igor are home. Now the focus is on helping their family rebuild — and renewing our commitment to bringing the thousands of other Ukrainian children still in Russia back where they belong.