Russia sends Ukrainian children to North Korea for "re-education" – human rights groups

Russian occupiers are illegally relocating Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied territories to so-called "re-education camps" not only in Russia and Belarus, but also in North Korea.

Source: Kateryna Rashevska, an expert on international justice and legal analysis at the Regional Center for Human Rights, at a US Senate hearing on 3 December, as reported by Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne

Details: Rashevska said her organisation has documented the existence of 165 "re-education" camps. Ukrainian children in these facilities are subjected to forced militarisation and Russification.

She emphasised that the geographic scope of child relocations has expanded: such camps now operate not only in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, in Russia and Belarus, but also in North Korea.

During her speech, the lawyer showed photographs of Ukrainian children who have ended up in North Korea. These include 12-year-old Mykhailo from the occupied part of Donetsk Oblast and 16-year-old Liza from occupied Simferopol.

According to human rights groups, these children were sent to the Songdowon International Children's Camp, located 9,000 kilometres from their homes.

"Children there were taught to 'destroy Japanese militarists' and met Korean veterans who, in 1968, attacked the US Navy ship Pueblo, killing and wounding nine American soldiers," Rashevska said.

The expert noted that Russia officially calls the relocation of Ukrainian children an "evacuation". However, under international humanitarian law, such procedures have strict limitations and obligations that Moscow does not observe.

The law specifically requires an occupying power to take all possible measures to reunite families. In addition, Russia was obliged to provide lists of abducted children to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Rashevska emphasised that an evacuation must be exceptional and temporary. Russia must regularly assess the security situation and immediately return the children as soon as the reasons for their relocation no longer exist.

She stated that Russia has not fulfilled any of these obligations.

Background:

• On 3 December, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution by a majority vote demanding that the Russian Federation immediately and unconditionally return all illegally deported Ukrainian children.
• According to the Foreign Ministry, Russia has so far deported at least 20,000 Ukrainian children. Ukraine has managed to bring home only 1,850 of them.
• In 2025 alone, Russia relocated almost 11,000 Ukrainian children to "re-education" camps.

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