Chuck Grassley: “the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University now estimates that over 35,000 abducted Ukrainian kids are being held…”

“the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University now estimates that over 35,000 abducted Ukrainian kids are being held by Russia. The few who have been rescued tell horrific stories of Russian indoctrination, illegal militarization, and brutal punishment for refusing to give up their Ukrainian identity. Here are some stories from kids who were rescued, courtesy of an organization called Bring Kids Back Ukraine: ``The Russians said that my mother did not need me and that I would be given to a foster family in Russia,'' said 12-year-old Olekander from Mariupol. ``I wanted to escape through the backyard but was afraid they might shoot me. So I had to get in a truck with them. It was so scary,'' said 13-year-old Artem from Kharkiv. Another story is from these six children: Vitaliy, Zhenia, Taya and Dayana and then, of course, two other girls who asked not to be named. They said, in September and October 2022, they came to the occupied Crimean Peninsula for what was called a rehabilitation program. They say they were mocked in the camp, humiliated based on their nationality. The Russians lock children like these folks who expressed pro-Ukrainian positions in a basement or an isolation cell. They forbade children to speak Ukrainian and, instead, forced them to listen to the Russian national anthem, learn Russian patriotic songs, and to do hard work.”