children

Experts report surge in cyberbullying by teenagers targeting peers and teachers in Ukraine: What punishment courts impose
News - 31 August 2026

Experts report surge in cyberbullying by teenagers targeting peers and teachers in Ukraine: What punishment courts impose

For children's behaviour online, courts hold their parents, mostly mothers, administratively liable. Usually, a warning or a fine ranging from 850 to 1,700 hryvnias is issued

‘I’m not a spy – I just want to live here’: What children leaving occupied territories go through
Articles - 28 August 2026

‘I’m not a spy – I just want to live here’: What children leaving occupied territories go through

ZMINA tells the story of Sofiia, whose name has been changed for security reasons. She left temporarily occupied Donetsk to enrol at a Ukrainian university. Sofiia's experience shows that reintegration is about more than documents, education and safety

Local authorities ‘forget’ to register orphans for housing in two Ukrainian regions
News - 26 August 2026

Local authorities ‘forget’ to register orphans for housing in two Ukrainian regions

A monitoring group found that the children's affairs service of the Boratyn village council did not place orphans on the housing queue, believing that their place of registration or their right to use property was a reason not to do so. Following the Ombudsman's recommendations, the service put eight children in the housing queue

Russian strike on petrol station in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Oblast kills three, including 8-year-old child
News - 03 August 2026

Russian strike on petrol station in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Oblast kills three, including 8-year-old child

Russian forces killed three people, including an eight-year-old child, in their strike on a petrol station in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on the afternoon of 3 August

Ukrainian parliament revises draft law increasing payments for children with disabilities: What the new amounts will be
News - 31 July 2026

Ukrainian parliament revises draft law increasing payments for children with disabilities: What the new amounts will be

A Ukrainian parliamentary committee on social policy has recommended that Parliament consider Bill No. 14191 for a repeated second reading. The bill would strengthen state support for children and people with disabilities since childhood, with monthly payments of up to 16,000 hryvnias

Families with children, elderly rescued from Russian strikes in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Kherson regions
News - 31 July 2026

Families with children, elderly rescued from Russian strikes in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Kherson regions

Police officers and volunteers have evacuated several groups of civilians, including families with children and elderly people, from the Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Kherson Regions

Government backs bill to establish new family-based care as foster families starting in 2027
News - 21 July 2026

Government backs bill to establish new family-based care as foster families starting in 2027

The legislation would strengthen oversight of children's rights, establish staffing and operational standards for child welfare services, and introduce a system of continuous professional development for their personnel

Draft Ombudsman bill strengthens institution but carries politicization risks, Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research warns
News - 15 July 2026

Draft Ombudsman bill strengthens institution but carries politicization risks, Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research warns

According to the experts, one of the bill's main advantages is its alignment with European Union and Council of Europe standards. The effectiveness and independence of national human rights institutions remain key benchmarks in assessing Ukraine's compliance with the rule of law during its EU accession process

UK condemns Russia’s militarization and indoctrination of Ukrainian children, demands release of Ivan Zabavskyi and detained OSCE staff
News - 10 July 2026

UK condemns Russia’s militarization and indoctrination of Ukrainian children, demands release of Ivan Zabavskyi and detained OSCE staff

The report published by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights concluded that Russia has violated International Humanitarian Law on a grand scale and is responsible for numerous and overlapping violations of International Human Rights Law. 

Russia’s indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children may amount to a crime against humanity – OSCE
Articles - 09 July 2026

Russia’s indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children may amount to a crime against humanity – OSCE

The OSCE mission has documented that Russia systematically violates the rights of Ukrainian children, ranging from banning the Ukrainian language in schools to the forced conscription of boys into military service upon reaching the age of 18. The mission's legal analysis classifies the indoctrination and militarization of children as a crime against humanity, and specific episodes, including deportation and torture, as war crimes.

‘A rainbow in tricolour’: Crimean Polina Kustarova on growing up under the daily influence of propaganda
Articles - 27 May 2026

‘A rainbow in tricolour’: Crimean Polina Kustarova on growing up under the daily influence of propaganda

In an interview with ZMINA, Polina Kustarova uses her own experience to explain how propaganda operates at the level of schools, creative activities and family life – and how resistance can emerge even in such an environment

Two 17-year-olds have been evacuated from Russian-occupied territories: The girl secretly studied the Ukrainian curriculum, while the boy lived in isolation for more than two years
News - 22 May 2026

Two 17-year-olds have been evacuated from Russian-occupied territories: The girl secretly studied the Ukrainian curriculum, while the boy lived in isolation for more than two years

After finishing the ninth grade, Artem was unable to continue his online studies at his Ukrainian school due to unstable internet access. At the same time, he refused to attend a Russian school. As a result, he effectively lived in social isolation for more than two years, rarely leaving home and barely communicating with other people

Suspect in the deportation of children from occupied Kherson region becomes an ombudsperson in Russia
News - 14 May 2026

Suspect in the deportation of children from occupied Kherson region becomes an ombudsperson in Russia

Yana Lantratova is a 37-year-old Russian politician who is primarily known in Ukraine as a key figure in the case involving the abduction of Marharyta Prokopenko and Illya Vashchenko from the occupied Kherson Oblast

Sixty-three countries agree to develop joint strategy on return of deported Ukrainian children
News - 12 May 2026

Sixty-three countries agree to develop joint strategy on return of deported Ukrainian children

The objective of the the High-Level Meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children was to strengthen collective efforts to secure the safe return of children unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred by the Russian Federation in the course of its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine

Russia uses WWII celebrations to indoctrinate children in occupied Crimea – Crimean Human Rights Group
News - 10 May 2026

Russia uses WWII celebrations to indoctrinate children in occupied Crimea – Crimean Human Rights Group

Human rights advocate of the Crimean Human Rights Group, Iryna Siedova, emphasized that such events create an association in children's minds between war and celebration, destroying the values of peace and preparing Ukrainian children for military service in the occupier's army

Gazprom, Rosneft funded deportation of at least 2,158 Ukrainian children — Yale study
News - 26 March 2026

Gazprom, Rosneft funded deportation of at least 2,158 Ukrainian children — Yale study

Yale report’s findings have added significance given the Donald Trump Administration’s decision on 12 March 2026 to temporarily authorize the sale, delivery, or offloading of Russian-origin crude oil and petroleum products that were already loaded onto shipping vessels in an attempt to stabilize global energy markets amid disruptions from the Iran war

Russia intensifies combat training for high schoolers in occupied Crimea — Irade human rights initiative
News - 25 March 2026

Russia intensifies combat training for high schoolers in occupied Crimea — Irade human rights initiative

These actions directly violate Article 51 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits occupying powers from both compelling civilians to serve in their armed forces or conducting propaganda to secure voluntary enlistment

UN’s Independent Commission of Inquiry stated that Russia’s deportation of Ukrainian children amounts to crime against humanity
News - 10 March 2026

UN’s Independent Commission of Inquiry stated that Russia’s deportation of Ukrainian children amounts to crime against humanity

According to a UN commission, the abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia and Belarus constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity. The acts are widespread, systematic, and coordinated by the highest levels of the Russian government