June 1 – Day for Protection of Children in Russia
Instead of protection, children are brainwashed, and trained for war starting at birth.

By Olena Liashenko

Children in Russia are dressed in military uniforms before they can walk, taught to glorify war in kindergarten, and trained for combat in adolescence through programs like Yunarmiya, a state-run militarized youth movement. From the earliest age, they are immersed in propaganda, parades, and staged battles—raised not to question violence, but to serve it.

Ukraine is choosing a new path—one that puts children’s rights and dignity first. While many post-Soviet countries still observe June 1 as Children’s Day, Ukraine is moving forward. On May 30, President Zelenskyy signed a decree aligning Ukraine’s national observance with the rest of the democratic world—officially recognizing November 20 as Children’s Day, in line with World Children’s Day established by the United Nations.

Through Russian state-backed programs like Yunarmiya—a militarized youth movement supported by the Ministry of Defense—children are systematically indoctrinated, trained in combat skills, and taught to view war not as a tragedy, but as a national duty.

Russia’s youth army, Yunarmiya, now boasts 1.8 million members—exceeding the combined military forces of the United States and all EU countries. Among them are hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children forcibly absorbed from occupied regions. Nearly 1.6 million Ukrainian children remain under Russian control, with many abducted under the guise of “evacuation,” adopted into Russian families, or enrolled in reeducation programs.

“This is bigger than the combined forces of 42 countries,” says Mykola Kuleba, founder of Save Ukraine, a nonprofit that has already returned 637 children to safety. But many more remain at risk as Russia systematically erases Ukrainian identity through child militarization.

Russia has intensified the militarization of its youth, particularly evident during Victory Day celebrations. Children of all ages, including infants, are dressed in military uniforms and participate in various patriotic displays.

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These activities are part of a broader state initiative to instill militaristic and nationalistic values from an early age, aligning with the Kremlin's narrative of historical continuity and patriotism. Critics argue that such practices blur the lines between education and propaganda, raising concerns about the psychological impact on children and the potential violation of international norms regarding the rights of the child .Russia’s treatment of its own children reveals a disturbing pattern of state-sponsored indoctrination that blurs the line between patriotism and militarism.

Russia’s Youngest Captives: Re-Education, Brainwashing, and Militarization of Abducted Ukrainian Children

As Russia marks June 1 as “International Children's Protection Day,” thousands of Ukrainian children remain caught in the horrors of Russia’s war of aggression. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Kremlin has systematically abducted Ukrainian children from occupied territories—tearing them away from their families, their language, and their national identity.

Ukrainian authorities have confirmed over 19,500 such abductions, but only 1,274 children have been returned to date.

Many are deported to Russia or occupied Crimea and placed in so-called “re-education camps”, where they are subjected to forced Russification and taught to reject their Ukrainian roots.

But the abuse goes even further.

Children are being militarized—enrolled in Russia’s Yunarmiya (“Youth Army”), a paramilitary program designed to instill loyalty to the Russian regime. They are taught to handle weapons, march in uniform, and pledge allegiance to the country that invaded their homeland.

Even more disturbingly, Ukrainian teenagers in occupied territories are now being conscripted into Russian armed forces—a direct violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions.
The Kremlin is not only stealing Ukraine’s children—it is turning them into tools of its war machine.

Read the Yale Investigation

This report by the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab is the most comprehensive public investigation to date into Russia’s systematic deportation, re-education, and coerced adoption of Ukrainian children. Based on twenty months of research, it documents how Russia—under direct orders from Vladimir Putin—has forcibly taken children from occupied Ukrainian territories, naturalized them as Russian citizens, and placed them with Russian families or in state-run institutions. The operation aims to erase their Ukrainian identity through a coordinated system of Russification involving federal agencies, occupation authorities, and legal manipulation.

On May 20, 2025, Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) led a bipartisan resolution demanding the unconditional return of abducted Ukrainian children before any peace deal with Russia is finalized. The resolution condemns Russia’s mass deportation and forcible transfer of children—acts exposing them to trafficking, abuse, and forced Russification—as part of its broader effort to erase Ukrainian identity. With support from several senators, the resolution builds on earlier efforts urging the State Department to investigate these war crimes.

Russia’s Militarization of Ukrainian Children Escalates

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Russia is intensifying its efforts to militarize Ukrainian children in occupied territories—an alarming violation of international law. Training in the Soviet-era military organization DOSAAF is now mandatory for Ukrainian children as young as 14, a shift from the previous age threshold of 18. DOSAAF prepares civilians for combat and is being forcibly integrated into schools under occupation.

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In Mariupol, schoolchildren are being conscripted into Yunarmiya (Youth Army) and sent to camps where they undergo weapons training and ideological indoctrination through so-called “lessons of courage.” These efforts aim to sever their connection to Ukrainian identity and instill loyalty to the occupying force.

Similar programs are unfolding in other occupied regions. In Bilovodsk, Luhansk, Ukrainian children aged 11–17 have reportedly been sent to a military camp near Novosibirsk, Russia, where they train near a live-fire range. These forced relocations and militarization efforts may constitute war crimes under the Geneva Conventions and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

By dressing infants in military uniforms, staging war reenactments in kindergartens, and glorifying violence through school rituals, the Kremlin is embedding a culture of war into the earliest stages of childhood. Rather than protecting children’s innocence and fostering critical thought, the state is using them as instruments to perpetuate historical myths and justify current aggression. This militarization of youth not only violates global norms—it robs a generation of their right to peace.

The consequences of this militarized reeducation are already visible. Children from occupied Donetsk and Luhansk—under Russian control since 2014—are now fighting against Ukraine. Some have been awarded medals for killing fellow Ukrainians; others lie buried under flags they were forced to serve. What Russia is doing is not just cultural erasure—it is war grooming. This exploitation of children as ideological and military assets is a blatant war crime and a horrifying glimpse into the future Russia envisions for Ukraine’s next generation.

Learn more about the militarization of children in Russia

How Russia Prepares Children In Occupied Ukraine For War Against Their Own Country

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In wartime Russia, schools prepare the next generation of fighters by Washington Post

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Attempts to Erase Ukrainian Identity: What’s Happening to Children Illegally Taken to Russia — an Interview with NV

Read in Ukrainian (or use your browser’s translation tool)

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