Ukrainian girl from occupied territory sent to Russian military camp where she was taught to lay mines and dig trenches
In summer 2024, Sonia (name changed), who was then 17 and living in the occupied part of Kherson Oblast, Ukraine, was tricked into going to a military camp in Russia. She was later told that with the certificate she was given after training there, she could join the Russian army.
Source: The Guardian
Details: Sonia eventually managed to escape to Ukrainian-controlled territory. However, her younger brother has remained under occupation and now wants to become a Russian soldier.
Sonia spent over three years living under Russian occupation in Kherson Oblast. Her family was forced to accept Russian passports, and she studied according to the Russian curriculum and learned the Russian language.
Sonia described life under forced assimilation as scary. Last summer, her foster mother agreed that she needed a break.
Sonia’s school offered to take her to a summer camp in occupied Crimea. But on the way, she found out she was actually being taken to Volgograd in southwestern Russia – more than 1,000 km (600 miles) away. That is how she ended up in the Avangard military camp, which has branches across Russia.
Sonia says that at the camp they were trained to dig trenches, rig them with tripwires and mines, load machine guns and carry out medical evacuations.
Quote: "The instructors told me that with the certificate given after the training, you can join the Russian army, so I understood it wasn’t just play."
Details: As her 18th birthday approached, Sonia began to fear that she might be forced to enlist in the Russian armed forces.
Sonia’s younger brother was also sent to the Avangard camp, where she says he fell victim to the ideological brainwashing.
Quote: "After being subjected to their propaganda, he took Russia’s side. He says he will join the Russian army. He talks about it with his friends."
More details: After the military camp was over, Sonia returned to her foster family in the occupied part of Kherson Oblast. She was afraid she would be forced to return to the camp. In early summer, the NGO Save Ukraine helped her reach Ukrainian-controlled territory. Her brother, however, still lives under occupation.
Background: In 2024, the Russians took children from occupied Bilovodsk in Luhansk Oblast to a military camp in Russia’s Novosibirsk Oblast. At the tent camp, which the Russians call the Young Army camp, children aged 11 to 17 were forcibly trained in military skills.
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