Kentucky mother refuses to leave Ukraine without adopted child she’s waiting to bring home

The war in Ukraine has forced millions to flee, but a Kentucky mother had a different idea: she packed her bags and headed toward a war zone. The mission: Bring home the newest addition to her family.

“I decided to come here because we were awaiting court for the finalization of our daughter, who was evacuated from Donetsk to Lviv,” Colleen Thompson told ABC News Live in an interview April 7.

Thompson’s daughter, Maure, who turned 18 just a few days before the attacks began, is one of more than 300 orphans who were in the process of being adopted by Americans before Russia invaded Ukraine, according to the United Nations.

Thompson added that she also made the tough decision to say goodbye to the rest of her children at home in the U.S. so she could help other Ukrainian orphans.