Russia is systematically recruiting young people from the occupied Ukrainian territories for its army. This is shown in a new documentary by the Kyiv Independent journalist collective. Russia wants to force young Ukrainians to fight against their own country and possibly even in other wars, says the film's author Olesya Bida. "It worries me that almost no one in the international community is paying attention to this", she commented to the German public television ARD.
One of the protagonists in the film is Igor (his name has been changed). The boy comes from a Ukrainian village that was quickly taken over by the Russian army after the start of the full-scale invasion, Bida's film says. A few months ago, he and his family managed to escape the occupied territories - shortly before Igor turned 18. "When they told me to apply for the army, I realized that I wouldn't be able to leave after I turned 18," he says. "They would force me to fight against my own country. I don't even want to think about it."
Russia does not send recruits to the front, but many of them are forced to sign up for professional service even before they finish their military training. NGOs signal that this usually happens after psychological harassment.
"Russia - My Horizon": A mandatory course in schools
The film by the Ukrainian director shows how children and teenagers in the occupied territories are Russified and raised with a militaristic ideology. The first step is school lessons. Ukrainian language and history are no longer taught there. Instead, there is a mandatory course called "Russia - My Horizon", says Igor. And Russian soldiers regularly visit schools to glorify the war against Ukraine. This is confirmed by other Ukrainians who fled the occupied territories and spoke to the Kyiv Independent team.
Problems often arise in families that reject the occupation regime. Igor says that his sister is a good student and receives awards at the Russian school, which makes her happy. That is why the family was very careful and talked to her about politics and the war as little as possible. His parents were worried that their daughter might unknowingly say something at school that would cause them great difficulties. "It is through children that the Russian occupiers often reach families that are critical of the war and Russia", says Igor.
The Russian occupation authorities were already monitoring Igor's family because the parents refused to obtain Russian citizenship. Searches and threats that the children would be sent to a boarding school followed, Igor's mother says in the film. At the same time, the two children secretly attended classes at a Ukrainian online school. The family hid the mobile phone with which they joined the Ukrainian classes in the grandmother's room.
What do Russian children's and youth organizations do?
Above all, however, it is Russian children's and youth organizations that attract young people to the army, as the film makes clear. It tells how during the organizations' meetings, young people write letters to Russian soldiers at the front and learn how to handle weapons. At school, they are pressured to join the organizations, Igor confirms.
Similar Russian organizations have already opened dozens of offices in the occupied territories. Among them are the organizations "Youth Army" and "Warrior". Oksana spent several weeks at a "Warrior" training camp after being lied to that it would be a holiday camp in Crimea. In the film, the young woman tells how the training went. After breakfast, everyone had to report and sing the Russian anthem, ARD reports. "We had classes from nine o'clock - military tactics, medicine, radio communication, how to wear the uniform correctly, how to operate drones." In the practical part, Oksana was assigned to a mining unit, where they learned to mine and demine terrain. Part of the training included how to use grenades, as well as digging trenches.
A violation of international law?
Russian media also covered the military youth camp of the organization "Voin", ARD reports. The training ground they use is located near Volgograd. Local media published a statement by the governor of the region, Andrey Bocharov, according to which about 2,000 young people are participating in such a camp. In a quote distributed by Russian media, Bocharov said that most of the participants are from the annexed Ukrainian territories.
Ukrainian human rights organizations believe that Russia is violating international law with its actions in the occupied territories. According to international law, Russia cannot prepare young men in the occupied territories for enlistment in its army. The Kyiv Independent film identifies those responsible and organizers of the military training of Ukrainian youth, among whom are many Russian participants in the war in Ukraine.
How Russia influences Ukrainian children and youth in its favor is also shown by the latest statements of the Russian plenipotentiary for children's rights Maria Lvova-Belova, writes ARD. In an interview with pro-government journalist Vyacheslav Manucharov, she describes her life with her adopted son Philip from Mariupol.
Russia took over the city during the first months of the full-scale war in 2022. Philip arrived in her family traumatized by the military actions, says Lvova-Belova. She admits that at first he did not want to live in Russia and was looking for pro-Ukrainian content on the Internet. Thanks to long conversations with Philip, his attitude towards Russia has changed, claims Lvova-Belova, who has an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for the abduction of Ukrainian children in Russia.
Author: Florian Kellermann (ARD)