Razom, along with the Kyiv Independent, will organize panel discussions and screenings of their documentary Uprooted in five American cities.
Uprooted is a documentary about the abduction, deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation. The film investigates 30 cases of abduction of Ukrainian children in the occupied city of Mariupol and features interviews with three victims of the crime. It sheds light on the war crimes committed against Ukrainian children and unpacks the complexity of the systemic Russian policy of forcible deportations.
The War Crimes Investigations Unit of the Kyiv Independent won the National Competition of Journalistic Investigations award for this documentary.
U.S.-based nonprofit Razom for Ukraine will host the creators of the documentary as well as one of its subjects, while in America. The delegation will be represented by:
- Daryna Shevhecnko, CEO of the Kyiv Independent
- Yevheniia Motorevska, Head of War Crimes Investigations Unit, the Kyiv Independent
- Olesia Bida, War Crime reporter, the Kyiv Independent
- Ivan Matkovskyi, a subject of the documentary, a witness, previously forcibly transferred a minor who has been successfully returned to Ukraine.
“The Russians like to claim that they are actually saving Ukrainian children rather than deporting them. This is not true. They have established and finely tuned the system of deporting children to Russia. Maria Lvova-Belova is not the only one behind this; doctors, social service workers, and even ‘ordinary Russians’ who take Ukrainian children into their families are participating in this war crime,” said the film’s author, journalist Olesia Bida.
- February 14, 16 – New York City.
Location and tickets: HERE
Side event at Columbia University: HERE - February 15 – Washington DC
Location and tickets: HERE
Side event at Georgetown University: HERE - February 18 – Houston, TX
Location and tickets: HERE
February 19-20 – Austin, TX
Location and tickets: HERE
February 22-23 – Phoenix, AZ
Location and tickets: HERE
The screenings will be followed by panel discussions featuring:
- Daryna Shevchenko, CEO, Kyiv Independent
- Olesia Bida, War Crime reporter, Kyiv Independent, author of the movie
- Yevheniia Motorevska, Head of War Crimes Investigations Unit, Kyiv Independent
- Ivan Matkovskyi, a subject of the documentary and former forcibly transferred minor.
“The goals of the project are to bring the voices of people in Ukraine directly to audiences in the US, to raise awareness about the widespread russian war crime of abduction and deportation of Ukrainians, especially children, and to expose the evidence of russian genocide of Ukrainians as the United States debates whether to continue to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom,” said the manager of the project Katya Pavlevych.
About Razom
Razom, which means “together” in Ukrainian, is a leading U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to upholding the principles of the Revolution of Dignity (Maidan) and actively contributing to the establishment of a secure, prosperous, and democratic Ukraine. Razom delivers on this mission along with a network of volunteers and partners, by providing humanitarian assistance, and administering programs and services to support health, advocacy, civil society and culture.
About Kyiv Independent
The Kyiv Independent is Ukraine’s fastest-growing English-language media outlet. It was created in November 2021, just three months before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, with a mission to serve as the bridge between Ukraine and the world, delivering reliable news, context, and on-the-ground reporting.
Together, we can demand accountability for stolen childhoods!