Over 600 Ukrainian children deported to Russian re-education camps

Since the beginning of the war, more than 14,000 children have been deported to Russia. This figure would in fact be well below reality. While on the Russian side we congratulate ourselves on this large-scale rescue operation, a report published by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab reveals that thousands of Ukrainian minors are currently held in re-education camps. Their future remains uncertain: although many children will be adopted, no one knows what will become of the others.

Thousands of children dispersed in 43 camps

More than 14,700 Ukrainian children have been displaced since the start of the war. The Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, a US-funded conflict observatory, collected data and satellite information to understand what was happening to these children. According to the report published by the observatory, more than 6,000 Ukrainian minors are currently detained in one of the 43 camps identified.

This report, entitled Russian program for systematic rehabilitation and adoption of Ukrainian children “reveals that 500 children were allegedly kidnapped in Crimea a few days before the start of the war to be housed in camps” recreational “. Since then, thousands of others have suffered the same fate. To justify these deportations the Russian government invokes evacuations for security reasons and the need to take care of orphans” abandoned and traumatized by war “. Many, however, were not alone in the world and their parents or legal guardians were clearly identified. The delegation of parental authority would have been obtained through lies, violence and opacity.

Russian cannon fodder?

Once there, the little Ukrainians would be subjected to a veritable propaganda campaign. Also according to the report, the main objective of these camps is to re-educate children politically. The integration programs implemented teach minors Russian patriotic culture and values, without forgetting military training: in the camps in Crimea and Chechnya, children would already learn to use firearms.

For its part, Russia calls for large-scale humanitarian action and is pleased to have succeeded in saving these children. At the same time, this beautiful altruistic action allows it to better compensate for its declining birth rate, even if this means subsidizing very generously the Russian families who adopt young Ukrainians.

Currently, more than 1,000 orphans are believed to be available for adoption and 350 have already been placed with a Russian family. Just 126 children were also allowed to return home before the government halted deportations indefinitely. Finally, the report teaches us that if the official figures indicate 14,700 deported children, in reality they would be several hundred thousand. Amnesty International warns: more than war crimes, these deportations are real crimes against humanity.

Cover photo credit: zokov of Getty Images.