Russians militarize Ukrainian children in the occupied territories

The Russian occupation authorities continue to systematically militarize Ukrainian children in the temporarily occupied territories. In particular, open sources have revealed this practice in Zaporizhzhia region.

This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets.

Recently, it became known that Russians sent teenagers from Zaporizhzhia region to military-patriotic training in Russia. This information was obtained from open sources.

Russia is promoting militarization among children, calling it “military applied sports” and a path to a “healthy and safe lifestyle.” In reality, this turns Ukrainian children into objects of propaganda and prepares them to participate in the war against Ukraine, the ombudsman notes. He emphasizes that such measures violate children's right to a peaceful childhood and are direct preparation for participation in hostilities.

“The involvement of children in hostilities contradicts the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and Additional Protocol I, which explicitly prohibit the use of children in war. In addition, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court defines the recruitment and use of children in international armed conflict as a war crime,” Lubinets said.

At the same time, Russia has been using Ukrainian children for its own purposes since the beginning of the armed aggression in 2014. The Ukrainian authorities call on the international community to condemn Russia's actions, increase pressure on the aggressor and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 01/11/2024