militarisation of children
Not just Ukraine — Russia is preparing Ukrainian children for future wars elsewhere
As of 2026, the Russian Federation has invested 78,4 million rubles into its youth education programme. In temporarily occupied territories, Russians strive to erase Ukrainian culture and replace it with a Russian identity that is loyal to the state and willing to die for Russia
Just peace in Ukraine must fully protect territorial integrity — UN Secretary-General António Guterres
António Guterres emphasized that a just peace in Ukraine must fully ensure the country's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, in accordance with the UN Charter, international law, and the relevant UN resolutions.
Disqualified skeleton racer Heraskevych and German initiative Athletes for Peace launch campaign for fallen Ukrainian athletes’ families (updated)
The athlete showcased a helmet featuring 24 portraits, yet emphasized that far more athletes [650 persons] have been killed. He urged that this must be remembered
Children in one of the schools in occupied Sevastopol are being militarized by Russian militant Pavel Klyasyuk
1.6 million Ukrainian children might have remained under Russian occupation. Their militarization intensified with the start of the full-scale war, although it has been ongoing in Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions since 2014
UN condemns Russian aggression, human rights violations on occupied territories and demands troop withdrawal from Ukraine
The resolution relies on the findings of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on violations by Russia, which confirm facts of enforced disappearances and torture both in the occupied territories and in Russia itself
The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea named the key Russian and occupation agencies responsible for the deportation of Ukrainian children
The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea pointed out that the Russian occupiers have established this vertical by involving a number of institutional structures at both the federal level of the Russian Federation and the local occupation administrations
The ethno-band DakhaBrakha has released a lullaby for Ukrainian children stolen by Russia
The lullaby was created during the full-scale war as a reaction to the deportation of Ukrainian children. The video was filmed near Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv to symbolize historical continuity and shared trauma
Russia sent 48 Ukrainian children to psychiatric hospitals in the occupied Donetsk region on extremism charges – human rights advocate
According to Almenda, approximately 6 million Ukrainians remain in the occupied territories, including 1.5 million children. Their militarization, which began in 2014, has intensified after the full-scale Russian invasion
Almost 50 children told police about attempted recruitment by the Russian special services
Since Ukrainian law enforcement began urging children to come forward should Russian agents try to recruit them, almost 50 have done so
The Russian occupiers teach our children that Ukraine does not exist at all – Human rights advocate Maria Sulyalina
During the First Crimea Week in Brussels, Belgium, the head of Centre of civil education "Almenda" explained that Russia has significantly intensified its propaganda efforts in the occupied territories of Ukraine through the education system, teaching students that Ukraine does not exist
There will be no lasting peace without liberation of Crimea – Mejlis Chairman Refat Chubarov
The Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Refat Chubarov stated that any proposals for Ukraine to cede its territories must be rejected. He stressed that without the liberation of Crimea, there can be no lasting peace that will ensure freedom and security for all Ukrainian citizens
Russia сontinues illegal child deportations despite ICC arrest warrants – Almenda’s report
Despite International Criminal Court arrest warrants issued in March 2023 against Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova for child deportations, Russia continues its practices. In 2024, the scale of unlawful child transfers has increased, with camp programs explicitly aimed at destroying Ukrainian children's national identity, human rights advocates emphasise
Ukraine rejects “pacifying the aggressor” as a path to peace
Refat Chubarov urged continued use of the Ukrainian Peace Formula to increase political and diplomatic pressure on dictator Putin and his supporters
In the occupied Donetsk region, the number of members of the Young Guard – Yunarmiya military movement has exceeded 4 thousand
The occupation official added that 330 more people joined the movement this autumn. In particular, 29 young boys joined the ranks of Yunarmiya in Mariupol.
Ukraine urges Mongolia to arrest Putin during his visit
The ICC alleged last year that the Russian president was responsible for war crimes, focusing on the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia. It has also issued a warrant for the arrest of Russia's commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, for the same crimes.
Militarisation of children and youth continues: 26 new junior military units formed in occupied Donetsk region
The representative of the occupation administration added that the "junior soldiers" from these cities actively participate in the activities of the militarised formation, taking first and prize places in military sports games organised by the Russians
Wagner Group mercenaries may be involved in the militarization of Ukrainian teenagers in Belarus
ZMINA has learned that mercenaries from the private military company “Wagner Group” conducted training in some of the military camps where Ukrainian teenagers were brought
Russia militarizes education and erases cultural identity of children in temporarily occupied Crimea – UN and Amnesty International
The International Court of Justice found that the way in which Russia had implemented its educational system in Crimea after 2014 with regard to school education in the Ukrainian language had violated its obligations under Articles 2(1)(a) and 5(v) of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
Columns
Not just Ukraine — Russia is preparing Ukrainian children for future wars elsewhere
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Russia needs soldiers. The Global South has desperate people. The rest is exploitation.
