“They forced us to sing the Russian national anthem every morning.” The invasion forces have already dragged almost twenty thousand children from Ukraine

Horizon ČT24: Abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia (source: ČT24)

Russian troops have abducted almost twenty thousand children from the invaded Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to Kyiv authorities. The large-scale war crime is said to have the features of a detailed action – it includes, among other things, a forced change of identity and citizenship to Russian, often under duress. It is often accompanied by systematic re-education and even preparation for future service in the Russian armed forces.

The story of Rostyslav – a teenager who, together with others, managed to get back to Ukraine tells about this, for example. They are now in a home for children who have been abducted to Russia or Russian controlled territories. They managed to get back to Ukraine, but their parents either died, are missing, or cannot take care of them on their own.

But Rostyslav managed to escape, with the help of the Save Ukraine organization. Another Ukrainian project PR Army systematically monitors Russian efforts to assimilate and re-educate kidnapped children. Due to the abduction of Ukrainian children from the occupied territories to Russia, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader Vladimir Putin.