Exclusive | Inside one Ukrainian familys daring escape from Russian occupation after 2.5 years in captivity

ZVYAGHEL, Ukraine — Ukrainian mom Yulia Khrapatova lived in fear for months that her quiet patriotism would be found out by Russian occupiers — and her kids ripped from her for the crime of speaking their native language.Just three days after the Kremlin’s Feb.24, 2022, full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow’s troops took over the family’s southeastern Ukraine hometown of Berdiansk, where Russian soldiers attempted to re-program Khrapatova’s children, Anastasia, 14 and Kyrylo, 5, including by making them pledge their allegiance to Russia in school.The little family held strong for more than two and a half years before finding the courage, and financial capacity, to escape their occupiers.In September, they embarked on a nearly 2,000-mile bus and train trip around battle lines and closed checkpoints to begin anew in Zvyaghel in free western Ukraine about 450 miles away.The Post met the Khrapatova family at Kyrylo’s new kindergarten here, where he is safe to speak Ukrainian freely and play with other children without fear of his family’s patriotism being found out.As with the majority of Ukrainians, Khrapatova did not expect Russian President Vladimir Putin to follow through on rumors he would order his troops to invade and take over Ukraine.The mom, who grew up in Ukraine when it was part of the Soviet Union, was accustomed to hearing Russia’s threats and posturing over the past 30 years.Then Feb.

22, 2022, initial reports of Russia’s move on Ukraine began to fill her social-media feeds.“On Telegram, there was information about people seeing all the [Russian] equipment coming in,” she said.“People began to hide in basements [in Berdiansk].”By Feb.

27, 2022, the first Russian troops entered the town.The Khrapatovas lived on the outskirts near Berdiansk’s entrance, so the mother was among the first there to see the invasion.“I saw these columns of tanks because I live alone near the road, and I lowered the children into the basement,...