Collaborative on Global Children's Issues

War Crimes Against Ukrainian Children Are at Risk of Being Insufficiently Investigated

As Russia’s war in Ukraine continues into its third year and peace negotiations are failing, one of the most urgent issues remains the fate of the thousands of Ukrainian children who have been abducted and militarized by Russia. These crimes represent an egregious violation of international law and threaten the future of Ukraine’s youngest generation. As such, understanding, addressing, and prioritizing this issue in future peace negotiations is critical.

Forcible Deportation

The Russian government is forcibly deporting and militarizing Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied territories in Ukraine. The first step of this crime involves the illegal and forcible deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, where they are placed in “temporary accommodation centers.” While Ukraine has officially identified 19,546 cases of forcible deportations, Ukraine’s 5 AM Coalition estimates the true number could range from 260,000 to 700,000. As of June 2025, only 1,359 children have been returned. Russian authorities target both orphans and children with parents, often under the pretense of sending them to “rehabilitation” camps. Every instance of these crimes committed by the Russian authorities and their accomplices in the occupied territories must be comprehensively documented. Without meticulous records, the possibility of achieving justice, international legal accountability, and the reunification of Ukrainian children and families is severely undermined and peace negotiations will be impossible

Russia’s “Youth Army” and Militarization

The second step of these Russian crimes is forced ideological re-education, military training, and participation in paramilitary organizations such as the “Yunarmiya,” “Movement of the First,” and “Eagles of Russia.” Through these groups, children are indoctrinated with Russian patriotism and receive training in firearms, tactics, and drone operations. These actions are intended to prepare Ukrainian children to fight against their own country as members of the Russian military.

This practice constitutes a grave violation of international law. It threatens the physical and mental health of Ukrainian children, disrupts their moral and psychological state, and aims to destroy their Ukrainian identity. The return of these children, whether they were deported to the Russian Federation or held within temporarily occupied territories, must be prioritized in any negotiations to end the war.

At the core of Russia’s effort to systematically militarize Ukrainian children is Yunarmiya, or the “Youth Army”—a youth movement created by Russia’s Ministry of Defense in 2016 to boost declining enlistment numbers. With 1.3 million members and $80 million in annual state funding, the group trains children as young as six in military skills and anti-Western ideology, glorifying Russian war “heroes” and preparing children for future combat.

As Russia’s casualties in Ukraine mount, the Youth Army’s influence has grown more dangerous, particularly for Ukrainian children trapped in occupied territories. By 2021, 29,000 children in Russian-occupied Crimea and 7,500 in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions had already been recruited. Since the full-scale invasion, reports have documented forced recruitment in newly occupied areas like Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

There are growing concerns that Russia could forcibly conscript these children to fight against their own country—a clear war crime in violation of Article 8 of the Rome Statute. This fear isn’t unfounded: Since 2022, Russia has forcibly conscripted up to 60,000 Ukrainian men, including a few thousand from occupied Donetsk and Luhansk. At least 75 of them have been killed.

Indoctrination in Camps

Beyond Yunarmiya, Russia operates so-called “educational” camps to indoctrinate children, often under the guise of therapy or “post-traumatic adaptation.” These camps are active not only inside Russia but across temporarily occupied Ukrainian regions.

A report by Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab identified facilities like the School of Future Commanders in Russian-occupied Crimea, organized by Yunarmiya, which hosted around 50 Ukrainian children. Another program, the Leader Youth Club (formerly Wagner Youth), launched in early 2023 by the Wagner mercenary group, encourages youth aged 16-25 to build drones for Russia’s military.

Additionally, Vympel summer camps, linked to Russian special forces, now operate over 100 branches across 50 Russian regions. These centers promote military training and propaganda, raising serious concerns that Russian authorities are funneling deported Ukrainian children into institutions designed to prepare them to fight in Russia’s wars.

American Partnership and Possible Contributions to the Investigation of Crimes Against Ukrainian Children

Who will continue to track and document these crimes now that U.S. support is disappearing? What war crimes against Ukrainian children most urgently require international advocacy and investigation? These questions were central to a recent webinar, “Negotiating the End of the War in Ukraine: Who is on the Children's Side?”, where I spoke about the similarities between forced deportations during the Soviet period and current practices and the critical need to document war crimes against children. A just peace will be impossible if the global community does not fully understand and attend to the forced deportation and militarization of Ukrainian children.

We are encouraged by the bipartisan group of legislators, led by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), who introduced Senate Resolution 236, calling for the return of abducted Ukrainian children before any peace agreement is finalized to end the war against Ukraine. Yet, the sentiment of senators must be followed by meaningful actions and support for the documentation and prosecution of war crimes against children.

The Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues has compiled a list of resources that can help inform a comprehensive child protection response.

How Does Halting U.S. Funding Harm Future Reunification Attempts?

In January 2025, the U.S. Department of State confirmed that it would abruptly terminate funding for critical initiatives supporting the documentation of Russian war crimes against Ukrainian children. Among the most high-profile was Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab, a critical effort to track and expose the mass deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Since 2022, the lab has published 13 reports and contributed evidence to six International Criminal Court cases, including the arrest warrants issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova. The lab also maintains a vital database of 30,000 deported children and key satellite imagery used to monitor their movements, which now risks being lost. 

However, Yale’s crucial work is only part of the picture. The funding termination has also affected other U.S.-supported programs, including Save Ukraine, the Regional Centre for Human Rights (RCHR), and the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group for Ukraine. These organizations, which operate directly in Ukraine, have not received the same level of media attention, yet their contributions to identifying, reunifying, and supporting Ukrainian children are no less valuable.

Following public and political pressure in response to the sudden funding cuts, the U.S. administration granted Yale a six-week funding extension to allow for the transfer of its documents and archives to EUROPOL. However, this temporary reprieve does not undo the long-term damage from the funding cuts. The loss of sustained funding jeopardizes the continuity of this essential work to investigate war crimes against children and risks data degradation, stalling future reunification efforts, and leading to poorer outcomes for the children. Ongoing support is critical to ensure that these war crimes are thoroughly investigated, every child is returned, and the perpetrators are brought to justice.  This urgency was underscored in a June 11 bipartisan letter from several members of the U.S. Congress to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which called for the restoration of funding for the lab through the next fiscal year.

The Role of Ukrainian Organizations in Documenting War Crimes Committed Against Ukrainian Children

Given the highly complex nature of investigating Russian war crimes on the ground, it is crucial to recognize that supporting Ukrainian organizations working to document crimes and reunite children with their families is an effective and strategic policy choice. These organizations face ongoing funding challenges, but continue to seek new support as they consistently deliver meaningful results in an increasingly difficult operational environment. International partners who express concern must also support this frontline response.

The primary initiative on returning Ukrainian children is Bring Kids Back UA, a strategic action plan formed by the President of Ukraine. It unites the efforts of the Ukrainian government, partner countries, and international organizations to rescue children who have been forcefully deported from Ukraine. Also, with assistance from international organizations, the Ukrainian government, through the Office of the Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights and Rehabilitation, led by Daria Herasymchuk, and the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, led by Dmytro Lubinets, is engaged in a concerted effort to identify and reunite children who have been deported with their families and caregivers. Despite the slow progress, each successful reunification represents a victory. These cases illustrate the necessity for prompt action, as children are more likely to recover physical and psychological well-being if they are located and reunited in a timely manner and receive comprehensive support.

Several non-governmental organizations are also involved in documenting Russian war crimes against Ukrainian children, including the Regional Centre for Human Rights, Centre for Civil Education “Almenda,” and Where Are Our People? (a project of the PR Army).  Non-governmental organisations such as Save Ukraine and Helping to Leave also play a pivotal role in facilitating the evacuation and rehabilitation of children who have fled conflict zones. In addition, Charity foundation “East SOS” has been instrumental in assisting Ukrainian children and providing documentation to support legal investigations. 

I am a member of the East SOS documentary team, which has been preparing analytical reports and articles about Russian war crimes against Ukrainian children, working to preserve evidence and uphold justice and the right to truth since 2014. Since February 24, 2022, the team has recorded over 800 testimonies and documented over 1,500 alleged war crimes, including testimonies from children forcibly taken by Russia. Children from the occupied Luhansk region, in particular, have spoken about paramilitary groups established by the Russian occupation administration in occupied Ukrainian territories, which forcibly enlist young men. They have also described propaganda lessons and being forced to sing the Russian anthem at official events in educational institutions. Our research team carefully records and analyzes these facts and preserves the testimonies for the pursuit of justice, including submitting this as evidence to the International Criminal Court.

A Test for U.S. Leadership

The abduction and militarization of Ukrainian children are not just human rights violations—they are war crimes. They demand a strong, unwavering international response. These children deserve the chance to return to their families, grow up without fear, and reclaim their Ukrainian identity.

With its actions to withdraw support for essential efforts to return these children, the United States risks sending the message that these crimes are negotiable. The question is now clear: Does the United States still support recognizing the abduction of children as a war crime, or is it prepared to trade their futures for an ill-defined “peace”?

Vladyslav Havrylov is a collaborative fellow with the Collaborative on Global Children's Issues at Georgetown University. He is also an invited analytical expert with the Charity foundation "East-SOS," where he works to document Russian war crimes against Ukrainian children in the aftermath of the full-scale Russian invasion.