Occupants continue to deport Ukrainian children to Belarus, especially from occupied part of Kherson region — human rights activist

Russia and Belarus persist in actively implementing measures to «re-educate» and militarize Ukrainian children. This occurs both directly in the temporarily occupied territories and through deportation. Different camps target various categories of children based on their age and previous living conditions.

Kateryna Rashevska, a human rights activist and lawyer at the Regional Center for Human Rights, discussed this on Hromadske Radio.

Approaches by Russians to «re-educating» Ukrainian children differ, depending on the child’s age, the circumstances they find themselves in, their parents’ situation, and the category to which they belong.

«Perhaps it’s an orphan or a child deprived of parental care. So it’s difficult to define something universal. But we categorize these measures under several names: Russification, militarization, and political indoctrination, all typical of the programs developed by Russians. In the camps or during so-called «excursions» or other activities, Russians forbid speaking Ukrainian, asserting this as Russian territory now, and the children are its citizens. They present alternative versions of Russia’s, Ukraine’s, and the world’s history. They emphasize so-called «patriotic education», taking children to museums and other sites of «Russian glory», — says Rashevska.

According to her, all camps have a militarization component, with visits from participants of the so-called special military operation or Russian wars on other continents.

«There are also camps specifically designed for military training. There, children live in pseudo-barracks or tents, they undergo drill exercises, learn how to handle weapons, are compelled to salute the Russian military, and considerable funds are allocated for all this», — the human rights activist says.

There’s a distinction in the treatment of children from territories occupied after the full-scale invasion began and those from the «LPR» or «DPR», as testified by children who returned from the so-called ‘re-education’ camps.

«They report that conditions for children from the newly occupied territories were sometimes worse, as if children from the «LPR» and «DPR» were demonstratively placed in better buildings. But we also have to understand that children from territories under occupation for 10 years already had their identities damaged. They face difficult situations when they arrive in Russian Federation territory, and Russian children call them «khokhly», «Ukros», or «Nazis». They identify themselves as «Donbass people», leading to conflicts between them, with Russian authorities showing no intention of resolving them. This reflects Russia’s attempt, in the temporarily occupied territories, to create a sort of «identity surrogate». They’re not Ukrainians, but they’re certainly not Russians», — Rashevska explains.

Despite policy changes, deportations of Ukrainian children continue. This largely affects high school students unable to enter Ukrainian higher education institutions.

«The Russians take them to their institutions and aim to keep these children there as long as possible. However, this isn’t as prevalent as at the beginning of the full-scale invasion when thousands were taken away. This is logical, as Russia aims to maintain the occupied territories as long as possible; it doesn’t desire a depopulated zone. Nevertheless, we’ve been documenting new deportations since March this year. Unfortunately, we can’t confirm that every child taken has been returned to their place of origin. Orphans are particularly vulnerable in this situation, with their whereabouts uncertain», — she says.

Belarus is also actively involved in the militarization and indoctrination of Ukrainian children, Rashevska notes.

«They’re not recognized as Ukrainians there, although in December 2023, Lukashenka mentioned in his report that there are Ukrainian children in Belarus, so it’s not very clear whom he identifies as such. Removals continue, particularly targeting children from the Kherson region. We see children from this region taken to Belarus under the guise of ‘rehabilitation,’ but the same practices occur», — the human rights activist says.

The process of «adopting» Ukrainian children by Russian families continues. This is less covered by Russian media now, due to the realization that such materials could be used against them.

«19,546 children were taken to Russian Federation territory, as per official figures. Most of these children required some form of placement. I am inclined to believe that most ended up in Russian orphanages. However, they’re an intermediate step before being placed in Russian families for foster care or adoption. According to leaked information, we understand that children under five are not listed in the federal orphan database. This suggests they’re already in Russian families, possibly numbering over a thousand», — Rashevska concludes.