During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 13 children with special educational needs were taken from their school by armed Russian soldiers and disappeared for weeks. The children were finally allowed to call home from Russian-occupied territory. To get them back, their relatives had to make grueling journeys into the country that declared war on Ukraine. Only eight of the children have been returned so far. The school director showed no concern about dressing Ukrainian children in Russian military uniforms, and Russian officials claim they are protecting Ukrainian children, but there are allegations of illegal deportation and a growing body of evidence against Russian President Vladimir Putin as a suspected war criminal.