Russia Forces Children from Occupied Ukraine into Military Camps

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/49336085

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Russia's occupation authorities in Ukraine's Kherson region are sending Ukrainian children to Russia for military-style training, according to the National Resistance Center.

The latest case involves 24 teenagers who were taken to the Russian city of Volgograd under the name of an educational program called “Pride of the Nation. The Path to Development”, reports Digi24. Officials described the trip as a learning opportunity. Ukrainian sources say the real goal was very different. [...]

Teenagers were placed in the Avangard defense and sports camp. There, they received training in drone operation, basic military roles, cyber-related activities, and tactical movement. Alongside this, the children took part in daily ideological sessions. These included staged patriotic events and museum visits focused on Russia’s war narrative. Analysts say the children were taught to see war as something normal and necessary.

According to the Center, schools in occupied areas were ordered to provide a set number of children. Principals were given quotas.

Parents were placed under pressure and were told participation was strongly recommended. Some families were warned that refusal could lead to problems with welfare payments, school records, or other basic services.

Also Happening in Other Regions

The Center also points to the role of Volodymyr Saldo, the Moscow-installed head of the Kherson region. His office is said to manage transport, lists of children, and coordination with Russian military youth groups. These programs are also used to promote his public image.

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In other news, Russia launched campaigns of forced drafts in occupied Donbas targeting sick, disabled, and the untrained individuals.

According to Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD), men conscripted from occupied Donbas—including individuals with disabilities or serious medical conditions—are being thrown into frontline assaults with little regard for survival ...

Russian unit commanders have publicly acknowledged the severity of the situation, admitting that many conscripts received neither medical screening nor proper military training ...

As conditions deteriorate, unrest has reportedly begun to surface within these formations, while personnel are increasingly treated as disposable resources rather than soldiers ...