Ivan Sarancha, who spent 11 years waiting to turn 18 so he could leave Luhansk on his own and return to Ukraine. Ivan’s parents support the Russian regime. Living with them had become unbearable, and they chose to remain under occupation.Escaping from the occupied territory was a real special operation for Ivan. Everyone leaving these areas is subjected to so-called "filtration" — a process involving checks of personal data, phones, social media, and belongings. Ivan prepared carefully.He had to deceive his parents, telling them he was going on a solo trip to another city as a birthday gift."I was sitting there thinking, what am I doing?" he remembers. "I thought, where will I be in a week — Luhansk? Russia? Ukraine? I was so worried. But I pulled myself together and decided to go all the way."He says his biggest fear was that his own parents would find out the truth and alert the authorities.Ivan Sarancha shows a chain with Ukraine’s coat of arms — a necklace he says he had long dreamed of owning, but could never wear while in occupied Luhansk.