The chilling reality of Russia’s forced transfer of nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children continues, with systematic “re-education” efforts aimed at erasing their Ukrainian identity. While President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative has seen just over 1,300 children returned, thousands remain in Russia or Russian-occupied territories, subjected to brutal indoctrination.
Intelligence gathered by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and the Bring Kids Back UA team has identified over 150 locations involved in this egregious policy, including around 40 camps, over 40 adoptive families, more than 50 educational institutions, and several Russian state-run facilities. These locations are spread across Russia and temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, acting as instruments of what human rights groups describe as a state policy of Russification. Children are stripped of their heritage, issued Russian passports, and in some cases, enrolled in military schools or given entirely new biographies.
Further exacerbating the crisis, at least 2,219 Ukrainian children have been illegally taken to Belarus, where they also undergo intense “re-education.” Reports from the Regional Center for Human Rights 2024 indicate that teenagers are fed propaganda, indoctrinating them with fabricated tales of Ukrainian atrocities and the false claim that Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories rightfully belong to Russia. This “Russian world” narrative is deeply embedded in the Belarusian school system, even reaching elementary education. The whereabouts and identities of these children in Belarus are actively hidden, making tracking their return nearly impossible. At least 18 indoctrination camps for Ukrainian youth are currently operating within Belarus.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for their direct involvement in the systematic deportation of Ukrainian children, a clear war crime under international law. Despite these warrants, the forced transfers and “re-education” continue, highlighting the urgent need for sustained international pressure.
A Fading Hope Behind Barbed Wire
Deep within a re-education camp near the Russian-Ukrainian border, hundreds of Ukrainian children are held, their laughter often replaced by the echoing silence of a stolen childhood. Inside a drab administrative building, amidst the sterile hum of fluorescent lights, a group of camp staff gathered for a mid-afternoon meeting, the air thick with the scent of cheap chocolate cookies.
“I hope the ceasefire comes soon,” one staff member murmured, breaking a cookie in two.
Another sighed, “Yeah, I have kids too, so I want to finish work early.”
“Your group is full of quiet kids, so it must be easy work,” a third chimed in, seemingly unaware of the casual cruelty of her words.
“No way,” scoffed the first. “Just yesterday they started complaining that they didn’t have enough snacks, and there was a big fuss.”
A moment of quiet introspection fell over the group, punctuated by the rustle of cookie wrappers. “The director of the camp says we should aim for the unity of Russia and Ukraine,” one ventured, a hint of weariness in his voice. “But when I look after the Ukrainian children, I feel that it’s absolutely impossible.”
“Me too,” another agreed, a surprising flicker of empathy in her eyes. “How should I put it, Ukrainian children are Ukrainian after all. There are times when I feel their indomitable spirit, their temperament, or maybe their blood, when I look at the children.”
A nodding head confirmed the sentiment. “I know what you mean. Don’t you think the girls are more warlike?”
“That’s true. Ukrainians are a very different people from Russians.”
A collective, knowing smile passed between them, a silent acknowledgment of the unbridgeable gap they perceived. Suddenly, someone asked, “Where is the director today? Is he on a business trip again?”
A cynical chuckle rippled through the room. “He’s on a business trip. To a bar with some Ukrainian girls he likes.”
The casual dismissiveness in their voices underscored the stark reality: for these children, “re-education” was not about unity, but about erasure, and their captors, despite their fleeting moments of recognition, remained complicit in a profound injustice.
All names of people and organizations appearing in this story are pseudonyms
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