The ‘re-programming’ of Ukrainian children: new evidence of Russian militarisation and propaganda
Open sources have revealed the likely whereabouts of a 16-year-old boy from Mariupol, who has been missing since 2022 as a result of Russia’s armed aggression. His details have been added to the state portal ‘Children of War’.
Open sources have revealed the likely whereabouts of a 16-year-old boy from Mariupol, who has been missing since 2022 as a result of Russia’s armed aggression. His details have been added to the state portal ‘Children of War’.
The boy was recognised in a video by the propaganda channel “Oplot TV”, where he was giving an interview. The report is about recruitment to the Naval Lyceum in the temporarily occupied city of Mariupol. In the footage, he is wearing a naval cadet’s uniform, against the backdrop of the Russian flag. This is a Ukrainian child being ‘re-programmed’ into the Russian military system!
The fact that the child is alive is extremely important news. But at the same time, it is also an alarming sign. The boy, who survived the siege and destruction of Mariupol by the Russian army, is now under the full control of the occupiers. And such public statements cannot be considered voluntary — they are the result of pressure, isolation and imposed control.
We have also found information about another Ukrainian child, whose details are listed on the ‘Children of War’ portal. In the photo, the boy is wearing a jumper with the words ‘Russian Army’ on it.
Russia has established a brutal system of deportation and assimilation of Ukrainian children — a mechanism that systematically erases their identity, taking away their name, voice, memory and the right to be themselves. This is a stolen childhood and a ruined future.
Russia is grossly violating international humanitarian law, in particular Article 51 of the Geneva Convention, which prohibits the coercion and use of civilians for military purposes. It is committing a war crime by militarising Ukrainian children. All those involved in this inhumane policy must be held to account.
To ensure the necessary measures are taken, the available information has been forwarded to the Office of the Prosecutor General and the Security Service of Ukraine.
Children are not trophies of war, not a resource for propaganda, not material for ‘re-education’ and not the future of a foreign army. They need peace and a happy childhood; they must grow up within their own families. That is precisely why it is extremely important to advance the negotiation process and use every opportunity to reach solutions that will help bring children home and protect their rights.
Original source: the author’s Facebook page
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