Valeriia Sydorova Shares Her Story | 2024 NED Democracy Awards
Valeriia Sydorova, a former forcibly abducted child from the Kherson region of Ukraine, shared her harrowing story at the 2024 NED Democracy Awards.
Valeriia Sydorova lived with her grandparents in Nova Kakhovka in Kherson, which was occupied by Russian forces in February 2022. In October 2022, she was forcibly transferred to Yevpatoria in occupied Crimea alongside hundreds of other children. Sydorova was pressured to move to Russia, but she refused and was instead allowed to move to occupied Genichesk, closer to her home. There she was forced to study Russian curriculum and join a militarized organization for children, Yunarmy. She managed to escape, walking for several hours until she reached Ukrainian-controlled territory. Today, she is studying to be a doctor and dreams of helping other Ukrainian children from the same camp, the majority of whom were forcibly transferred to Russia, to return home.
The National Endowment for Democracy is a private, nonprofit foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world. Each year, NED makes more than 2,000 grants to support the projects of non-governmental groups abroad who are working for democratic goals in more than 100 countries. Learn more at https://www.ned.org/
Follow NED:
Facebook - / national.endowment.for.democracy
Twitter - / nedemocracy
Instagram - / nedemocracy
LinkedIn - / national-endowment-for-democracy