Russia has deported nearly 11,000 Ukrainian children to "re-education" camps in 2025 alone
The Russians have forcibly transferred almost 11,000 children to 164 camps in Russia and occupied Crimea since the start of 2025.
Source: experts from the Regional Centre for Human Rights during the presentation of a study on the deportation and forced displacement of Ukrainian children at the Media Center Ukraine
Quote from Kateryna Rashevska, PhD in international law: "In 2023-2024, 102 cases of Ukrainian children being deported to camps were documented, resulting in the displacement of at least 8,270 children. There were 98 institutions in Russia and the temporarily occupied territories where they were taken.
Meanwhile, Russia has deported nearly 11,000 Ukrainian children to 164 institutions in 2025. The programme in these camps is becoming increasingly militarised."
Details: A 17-year-old girl from occupied Kherson Oblast, Sonia (name changed), was taken by the Russians to Volgograd and placed in the Avangard military camp, which has locations across Russia. Her story was recently told by The Guardian.
According to the researchers, children abducted by Russia are suffering from deliberate social and cultural disconnection, a result of efforts to isolate them from their communities and heritage.
The re-education of deported Ukrainian children has formed part of Russian state policy since 2022.
Quote from the Centre: "Russian officials are trying to present the crime of deporting Ukrainian children as care and guardianship. In reality, this propaganda only obstructs the return of the children.
In its propaganda, Russia attempts to show the world that it is rescuing our children, not committing crimes against them."
Background:
- Daria Herasymchuk, Ukraine’s Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights and Child Rehabilitation, previously stated that the Russians use six scenarios for relocating young Ukrainians to Russia.
- In addition, Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, said that Russian officials are looking for abducted Ukrainian children in order to have them "adopted". Several such cases have become known.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!