Path that Russia is building for Ukrainian youth: 1,615 children in occupied part of Kherson Oblast are in its “military-patriotic” program
Russia is giving 1,615 children in occupied Kherson a “military-patriotic” education.
In the occupied Kherson Oblast of Ukraine, 1,615 children are participating in a "military-patriotic" education program, according to Russia's governor Volodymyr Saldo. This program, part of the national "Youth and Children" project, offers after-school centers in the region alongside art, sports, and crafts classes. The curriculum includes military-patriotic classes, with the aim of fostering a sense of patriotism and potentially preparing the children for war.
Since 2022, Russia has deported nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children, placing them with Russian families or institutions and subjecting them to "re-education" meant to erase their Ukrainian identity. In Kherson Oblast alone, Russia has taken nearly 1,615 children, offering them a combination of military-patriotic education and other extracurricular activities. These children are at risk of being conscripted into the Russian military at the age of 18.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his children's rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, over the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children. Ukraine has managed to bring back only 2,000 children since 2022, including 204 from Kherson Oblast this year, through the Bring Kids Back UA program and the charity Save Ukraine. However, Russia continues to hold and add to the number of children it has deported.
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