Emile Foundation Locates 46 of 84 Children Taken from Oleshky Boarding School

New investigation by Emile Foundation identifies dozens of vulnerable Ukrainians still living under Russian control and reveals the legal barriers preventing their return home.

Kyiv, Ukraine — Forty-six children and adults with disabilities taken from a Ukrainian care institution during Russia’s occupation of Kherson have now been located, according to new findings from the Emile Foundation, a Netherlands-based organization that works directly with families searching for Ukrainian children and vulnerable adults taken by Russia.

The investigation also reveals a little-known legal gap that is preventing many of them from being reunited with their families.

Nearly four years after Russian forces removed 84 residents from the institution during the occupation of Kherson, most remain separated from their families, with many mothers still having no information about where their children are or whether they are safe.

The Oleshky Children’s Boarding School was widely regarded as one of Ukraine’s leading institutions for children and adults with disabilities. Residents received specialized medical care, rehabilitation, and vocational training. Many achieved notable success, including Paralympic medals in both Summer and Winter Games, and actively participated in social initiatives promoting accessibility.

In autumn 2022, Russian occupiers forcibly removed 84 residents in three separate groups, despite most having families and relatives in Ukraine-controlled territory. The institution’s director, who refused to cooperate with the occupiers, was replaced by a Russian-appointed administrator.

Three and a half years later, only 13 residents have returned home. 

Six have died. Sixty-nine residents remain in occupied territory or in Russia, while the whereabouts of several others remain unresolved.

Emile Foundation has successfully located 46 of the missing residents:

• 15 at the Skadovsk children’s facility (identities confirmed by name) in Southern Kherson Oblast
• At least 27 at the so-called Dniprovsk Psychoneurological Boarding School in Strilkove, occupied Kherson Oblast (6 confirmed by name, the rest assessed with high probability)
• 3 in Penza, Russia
• 1 in Crimea

“Since 2022, I have not known whether my son Anton Volkovych is alive. I don’t know where he is or what conditions he is in,” said Hanna, mother of three. “I had to evacuate my daughter and could not manage to get him back at the same time. No mother should ever have to choose which of her children to save first.”

“I often imagine where she is, how she is… whether anyone is hurting her, whether she has enough to eat,” said Oksana, mother of Anna Franchuk. “Even if food is placed in front of her, she may not be able to reach it. And I have no one to ask about her.”

The return of these residents is severely complicated by a legal impasse. Adults with disabilities who were boarding school residents at the time of occupation fall into a regulatory gap. There is no clear procedure for their return, including whether they must be declared legally incapacitated in absentia or if family ties can be used instead.

“There is a serious problem: the return process for this category is not regulated in any way,” explained Mariia Lebedeva, Ground Operations Project Manager at Emile Foundation. “Families have no clear authority to approach for guidance.”

Since 2023, the Emile Foundation has provided comprehensive support to the families, including searches, legal and psychological assistance, material aid, and evacuation support. Through its tracing efforts, the Foundation has located more than 60 children from the Oleshky Boarding School and the Kherson Children’s Home combined.

“Today, after nearly four years, none of us should feel proud of what has been achieved,” said Mariam Lambert, CEO of Emile Foundation. “Even when children are located, there is still no proper international process for returning them. The return of abducted children requires trusted intermediary channels and long-term engagement that can operate beyond political deadlock.”