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Ukrainian authorities have revealed that occupied Crimea is being used as a processing center for deported Ukrainian children, where they undergo intense Russian propaganda before decisions are made about their futures, according to Ukraine’s human rights commissioner.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights, told Radio Liberty Crimea.Realities that Russia has transformed Crimean children’s camps into a systematic operation for assessing Ukrainian children’s susceptibility to Russian influence.
“They have built logistics there, that is, they created a system of camps,” Lubinets explained. “Essentially there were children’s camps there, but now the Russians are using them differently. This is a place where groups of Ukrainian children are brought.”
According to Lubinets, these facilities serve as evaluation centers where children are assessed for their loyalty to Russia. “They very quickly try to brainwash them with Russian propaganda, determine who among the children poses a danger to the Russian occupation authorities, who can be returned without a doubt that this child is already ready to be a true Russian, and who must be deported directly to Russian territory, to be placed in a Russian family,” he said.
The exact number of Ukrainian children affected remains unclear. Lubinets noted that 1.6 million Ukrainian children lived in territories now under Russian occupation, though how many were subsequently transported to Russia remains unknown. In 2022, the Russian president’s envoy for children publicly acknowledged that more than 700,000 Ukrainian children were on Russian territory.
Human rights organizations report that Russia has intensified efforts to conceal these operations since 2023, making the repatriation of Ukrainian children increasingly difficult. Myroslava Kharchenko, who heads the legal department at the Save Ukraine charitable foundation, described escalating obstruction tactics.
“They began to hide the children from the very moment, they began to hinder the return,” Kharchenko said. “They began interrogating mothers who travel for the children for two, three days. They began deporting them, that is, they began doing everything to hide their crime.”
The Ukrainian government estimates that over 20,000 Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territories during the full-scale war. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in September that 1,625 children have been returned to Ukraine through the Bring Kids Back UA initiative with international support.
The forced deportation of children has drawn significant international condemnation. In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova on suspicion of war crimes related to the forced deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children.
Lvova-Belova has claimed that Russia has taken in approximately 4.8 million Ukrainian residents since the war began, including more than 700,000 children, but maintains that most arrived with parents or relatives.
The issue represents a clear violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits the forced transfer of civilian populations from occupied territories. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Geneva Conventions both contain provisions designed to protect children during armed conflict and occupation.
International organizations, including UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross, have expressed grave concern over these allegations. The systematic nature of these operations has led some legal experts to suggest they may constitute evidence of a broader pattern of cultural genocide—attempting to erase Ukrainian identity among the youngest generation.
The repatriation of these children has become a key humanitarian priority for Ukraine and its international partners, who continue to press for access to affected children and accountability for those responsible for their displacement.
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8 Comments
This is a deeply disturbing and unacceptable situation. The forced deportation and indoctrination of Ukrainian children is a flagrant violation of their human rights. Russia must be held accountable for these war crimes, and the international community must take urgent action to protect these vulnerable children.
I agree, this is a chilling example of how Russia is willing to target the most vulnerable in its efforts to cement control over Ukraine. The world must not turn a blind eye to these atrocities.
The exploitation of children for political purposes is absolutely reprehensible. Russia’s actions in Crimea are a blatant attempt to indoctrinate the next generation and solidify its occupation. This is a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions and international law.
Sadly, this is just the latest in a long line of atrocities committed by Russia against the Ukrainian people. The world must remain vigilant and continue to hold Russia accountable for these war crimes.
The reports of Russian authorities forcibly deporting Ukrainian children and subjecting them to intense propaganda are truly horrifying. This is a blatant attempt to erase Ukrainian identity and culture, and it must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. The international community needs to take immediate action to protect these children and ensure their safe return to their families.
As a parent, I find the idea of children being forcibly separated from their families and subjected to relentless propaganda absolutely horrifying. This is a clear attempt by Russia to erase Ukrainian identity and culture. The international community must do everything in its power to stop this.
This is a deeply disturbing situation. Forcibly separating children from their families and subjecting them to intense Russian propaganda is a clear violation of human rights. The Ukrainian government must continue to do everything in its power to protect these vulnerable children and reunite them with their loved ones.
I agree, this is an unconscionable abuse of power by the Russian authorities. The international community needs to put strong pressure on Russia to immediately cease these abhorrent practices.