Around 6,000 Ukrainian children are being held at sites in Russian-held Crimea and Russia, according to a US-backed report by Yale University. The report looks at human rights violations in Russia and identifies at least 43 camps and other facilities where Ukrainian children have been held that were part of a "large-scale systematic network" operated by Moscow since its invasion of Ukraine.
The primary purpose of the camps appeared to be "political re-education", the report asserted. The children in the camps included those with parents or clear familial guardianship, those Russia deemed orphans, others who were in the care of Ukrainian state institutions before the invasion and those whose custody was unclear or uncertain due to the war, the report said.
Some of the children were adopted by Russian families, or moved into foster care in Russia, the report said, adding that the youngest child identified in the Russian programme was just four-months-old, and some camps were giving military training to children as young as 14.
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Nathaniel Raymond, one of the researchers, said, as per Sky News, "The primary purpose of the camp facilities we've identified appears to be political re-education."
{{/usCountry}}Nathaniel Raymond, one of the researchers, said, as per Sky News, "The primary purpose of the camp facilities we've identified appears to be political re-education."
{{/usCountry}}"What is documented in this report is a clear violation of the 4th Geneva Convention," Nathaniel Raymond added.
Russia's embassy in Washington said Russia accepts children who were forced to flee Ukraine.
"We do our best to keep underage people in families, and in cases of absence or death of parents and relatives - to transfer orphans under guardianship," the embassy said as per news agency Reuters.