Nova Ukraine is deeply concerned by the recent media reporting on the treatment of Ukrainian children housed in facilities operated by the Ruslan Shostak Foundation in Turkey. The findings described in these reports raise grave questions about the conditions in which the children lived, the level of oversight inside the facilities, and the practices used by staff responsible for their care.
In 2022, Nova Ukraine did provide a grant to this organization during the early emergency phase of the full-scale invasion. At that time, the initiative was presented as a coordinated evacuation effort involving Ukrainian regional authorities responsible for residential institutions, Turkey’s Ministry of Family and Social Services, and local municipal structures in the Antalya region that provided accommodation permissions. Given these representations—and the urgency of removing children from areas under bombardment—Nova Ukraine had no indication of the concerns now being reported.
To be clear: the conditions described in the current reporting were not known to us at the time we awarded the grant. Once we became aware of these findings, Nova Ukraine immediately and permanently ended all cooperation with the Shostak Foundation.
Nova Ukraine’s grantmaking system is built on transparency and accountability. Every partnership undergoes documented review, internal verification, and cross-checking through our wide network of active partners, subject-matter experts, and collaboration with local authorities and hromadas. By 2023, Nova Ukraine strengthened reporting standards and prerequisites for grantees. Even with these systems in place, this situation shows the need to further strengthen monitoring and independent access for programs involving children.
We support full, transparent investigations by the relevant authorities and stand firmly on the side of every child’s right to protection. We have initiated an internal review to reinforce our safeguarding procedures, particularly for any program where children’s rights, safety, or daily welfare depend on partner operations.
Our position is clear: Nova Ukraine will only work with partners who uphold standards that ensure safety, dignity, lawful oversight, and responsible use of resources.
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