Ukrainian teenager who was illegally transferredfrom Kherson region to Russia, where he was placed with a family in violation of international law, committed suicide

Oleksandr Yakushchenko, a Ukrainian teenager illegally removed from his children’s home in the temporarily occupied Kherson region, died by suicide shortly after turning 18 while living with a Russian family, according to an investigation by Russian news outlet “Important Stories”.

Oleksandr Yakushchenko

Yakushchenko had turned 18 shortly before his death.

Yakushchenko lived with the Lukashenko family in Akhtanizovskaya village, Krasnodar region, where he reportedly received inadequate care. This family has a history of taking in unaccompanied minors, and shortly after Oleksandr’s suicide, a new child appeared there.

In the Kherson region, the boy lived in a family-type home in the village of Tokarivka, managed by Lidia Sharvarly. Along with Oleksandr, his own sister and six other children were raised there.

With the onset of temporary occupation of the Kherson region, Sharvarla began collaborating with the Russians and now lives in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. In Russia, presumably with money that her wards should have received as aid, she bought a house of almost 350 square meters. She refused to speak with the media, but her daughter commented on some questions.

Lidia Sharvarly (left) and the Russian Lukashenko family (right). Photo: “Important Stories”

Journalists managed to speak with children who were raised by Sharvarly. Some of them are in Russian families, including Oleksandr’s sister.

The foster brothers and sisters from the Kherson home said that Oleksandr shared his concerns about the Lukashenko family, where he did not receive enough support.

In a voice message to friends before his death, Yakushchenko expressed deep distress:

“I’m not needed by anyone here, f***. They made me understand that. I’m ruining everyone’s lives. I can’t do it, I’ll hang myself… If I weren’t here, no one would have any problems, f***, if I hadn’t come here. I can’t… F***! I’m in so much pain. I don’t know what to do,” the journalists quote the voice message they have in their possession.

Friends noticed the teenager’s suicidal mood, although outwardly, according to them, he seemed cheerful.

“He never showed what was inside. It was clear that he didn’t get enough attention, as I also did, I have the same amount of childhood trauma as him. Everything is f***ed up inside, but on the outside, he tried to be cheerful,” says his friend from the orphanage in Kherson region.

The Russian family confiscated Yakushchenko’s Ukrainian passport when he planned to return to his mother in Ukraine, a practice reportedly known to Russian guardianship authorities.

The boy’s biological mother was deprived of parental rights in 2016 because she abused alcohol after the death of a loved one. She communicated with her son shortly before his suicide, but there is conflicting information about their relationship.

The forensic expert’s report on Oleksandr’s death states that he took his own life on January 10, 2024. A disassembled mobile phone with all information deleted was found near his body.

The Russian family with whom the teenager was illegally placed was not formally his guardians at the time of his death, as Oleksandr was of legal age. The family claims they were no longer responsible for him, so he was “just living” with them.

His sister Khrystyna remains in Russia, illegally placed with a family in Temryuk district and attending a special needs boarding school. Both siblings are officially listed as missing in Ukraine.

This case highlights a broader pattern of child deportations from occupied territories. Recently, Russian MP Sergei Mironov was revealed to have taken a 10-month-old girl from the occupied Kherson region, changing her identity. The child’s legal guardians have appealed to Ukrainian authorities for her return.