The Stolen Children

Thousands of children were taken from Ukraine by Russian forces... Since the start of the war, about 1,200 of the abducted children have returned to Ukraine, thanks mostly to the dogged efforts of their relatives and humanitarian aid organizations. – Simon Shuster, TIME Magazine, July 17, 2025

When we were little, my younger brother and I spent hours playing on the shore of the Black

Sea. Running into the crashing waves head-on. Squealing as the water hit hard. Our mother

laughing, perched on her beach towel. We knew what was coming. We braced ourselves. We

screamed and shivered. We never had enough. Our annual trip was a luxury. Father worked hard

to make it happen, taking on extra hours at his job as a construction worker.

After our ailing mother died, he took us back one last time. We spent more time on the shore than

in the waves, my brother scooping up pailfuls of sand and water, carving out a fortress with

multiple towers. I searched for seashells, green sea glass and pebbles – my mother’s favorite

color. Father smoked and stared out at the sea. 

Then our city was invaded.

My brother was stolen. 

Now Father is dying. 

My long journey begins. Twelve strangers meeting for the first time. We come from different

cities. We are young and old. We are feeble and strong. We smile – a brief acknowledgment.

Eyes full of sorrow. Eyes full of fear. Hope is fleeting. Danger is lurking. Shepherded by charity

organizers, we board a bus that takes us far past our borders. There our children wait. It will not

be easy. I must be brave. I must bring my brother back.

Here in enemy territory, a wrong word can be dangerous. Our guides warn us that the children

have been subjected to intimidation, isolation, reeducation. Bullying. Hours of forced morning

drills. Punished for speaking their native language. Forced to sing the invader’s national anthem.

When I’m finally allowed to see my brother – I can barely breathe. He is pale, shaking – the way

he’d shake when he’d wake up from a nightmare after mother died. He tells me he has new

parents now. They told him to stay here. They told him he’d starve if he left. They told him he’d

be killed by fascists.

Three days to pierce months of contrived lies.

Brother – I am your sister.

Come home. Our father waits for you.

Ksenia Rychtycka, a Michigan-based poet and writer, is the author of the award-winning

poetry chapbook A Sky Full of Wings and the short story collection Crossing the Border.

Recent work has appeared in Peninsula Poets, Fusion Magazine, Wordpeace, and the

anthologies: Shattered – Artists Inspired by Artists, the 2025 Nat’l and Int’l Goddess

Anthology, Ukrainian American Poets Respond and The Power of the Feminine I.