Over 3,000 children from temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine’s Kherson Oblast were forcibly removed by Russian authorities during the summer of 2024 under the guise of so-called “re-education” programs. These programs took place in various camps scattered across remote regions of Russia.
According to Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets, these relocations were disguised as recreational, health, and cultural-educational programs. In total, 3,310 children were transferred to camps in regions far from Ukraine. Among the activities offered were paramilitary training in Vologda and so-called “University Shifts” in Tula. Lubinets highlighted that Russian authorities subjected Ukrainian children to excursions, workshops, sports events, and other activities aimed at forced assimilation and militarization.
“These actions are part of a deliberate Russian strategy to erase the national identity of Ukrainian children by imposing Russian culture, history, and language. Their ultimate goal is to raise a generation that is disconnected from its roots and potentially aligned with Russia’s agenda, even to the point of opposing their own homeland,” said Lubinets.
In September 2024, the Regional Center for Human Rights documented the deportation of 40,000 children from occupied Ukrainian regions to various locations in Russia, including Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, and Tula. These relocations were presented as recreational and educational activities but are viewed as efforts to eradicate Ukrainian national identity through forced assimilation.
The Ukrainian Ombudsman emphasized that these actions constitute a blatant violation of international law and pledged that Ukraine would pursue justice for every child affected.
“We will not remain silent. Ukraine, together with its international partners, will continue to fight for the return of every child and hold those responsible accountable,” Lubinets concluded.
This development follows repeated instances of forced deportation of Ukrainian children from occupied territories. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has raised the issue with international leaders, including Italian President Sergio Mattarella, stressing the urgent need for global support to return abducted children and address these crimes.
The forced displacement and “re-education” of Ukrainian children are widely regarded as tools of cultural erasure and a violation of human rights under the Geneva Conventions.
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