Russia reeducates Ukrainian children for war from camps to military bases
Militarization of children in Russia (photo: Getty Images)
Russians abduct Ukrainian children and attempt to re-educate them – this process includes not only lessons of patriotism but also further militarization, according to a report by the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale School of Public Health.
Researchers recorded about 210 facilities, at least 39 of which are re-educating Ukrainian children. Among these facilities are cadet schools, military bases, medical institutions, monasteries, churches, secondary schools and universities, hotels, orphanages and family support centers, camps, and sanatoriums.
In the latter, activities are organized, including sports, workshops, arts and crafts, as well as so-called wellness procedures.
At the same time, in Ukraine, it has been repeatedly emphasized that the re-education camps, where children are taken, hurt the health and mental state of the child. Those children who were returned have repeatedly spoken about being abused in the camps, poor food, and aggressive propaganda.
Among the tools for militarization, researchers highlight the psychological and physical preparation of children for the technologies, practices, and culture of the Russian army. This includes the simulation of military scenarios.
The approximate age of children forced to undergo organized militarization programs in camps, cadet schools, and military bases ranges from 8 to 17 years old.
Children in Russia are being shown Putin's speech during school lessons (photo: Getty Images)
"In the facilities where children from Ukraine underwent militarization, they were obliged to take part in a number of activities, including training in the 'development of shooting and naval skills.' They participated in shooting competitions, grenade-throwing competitions, and also received training in tactical medicine, drone operation, and tactics," the report says.
In one case, researchers documented children from the Donetsk region undergoing airborne training.
Overall, over the past decade, programs of patriotic upbringing among children have been expanding in Russia. Particular attention is paid to the military aspect, glorifying the very concept of war.
Deportation of children and return home
Over the years of the war, Russia has taken hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children from occupied territories. However, since information about the children is difficult to collect after their forced removal, Ukraine operates with the figure of over 19,000.
At the same time, Ukraine, with the support of its allies, regularly brings children back home. Because Russia refuses to provide information about the deported children and does everything to make their location practically impossible to trace, the return of each child becomes a separate operation. One of these operations took place on September 15, when Ukraine managed to return another 16 children from territory temporarily occupied by Russia.
The deportation of Ukrainian children was the reason for the International Criminal Court in The Hague to issue arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia's Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova.
