Russians are militarising children from temporarily occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast

Alyona Pavliyk — Thursday, 19 September 2024, 19:13

Children from the temporarily occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast have undergone another round of military training from the Russian occupiers. 

Source: Dmytro Lubinets, Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliamentary) Commissioner for Human Rights

Details: Lubinets says such militarisation is a violation of children's rights.

Monitoring of Russian social media reveals that Russian "mentors" have been teaching children how to handle rifles, and they have been practising shooting from various positions.

The Russians also force Ukrainian children to wear uniforms and march under the Russian flag.

Quote from Lubinets: "The invaders initially recruited them to join militarised ‘patriotic’ movements such as Yunarmiya (the All-Russia Young Army National Military Patriotic Social Movement Association) and cadet classes so that they could later impose a new reality on them: hatred of everything Ukrainian and fighting for the Russian enemy. Ukrainian children are becoming a tool in the Russian Federation’s great game, where childhood no longer matters."

Dmytro Lubinets says militarisation is a serious violation of children's rights.

Quote from Lubinets: "I call on the international community to take more pro-active action and ensure appropriate legal consequences for the Russian Federation! Evil must be punished!"

Background: Human Rights Watch has reported that Russia is forcibly russifying education in the occupied territories.

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