Ukrainian children face Russian indoctrination: OSCE

OSCE-mandated independent experts said around 1.6 million Ukrainian children are being forced by Russia into military indoctrination in areas held by Russian forces, in a system they said could amount to a crime against humanity.

The report was presented Thursday at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Vienna. It said Russia had installed a systematic programme to draw young people into the army in areas seized from Kyiv.

French researcher Herve Ascensio said children, parents and teachers were targeted if they tried to maintain their Ukrainian identity. He said the system of indoctrination and militarisation may amount to the crime against humanity of persecution.

Latvian expert Elina Steinerte said pro-Kremlin authorities had sent draft letters to call up Ukrainians in occupied territories at a younger age than in Russia itself. The report details training camps and classes on handling weapons and drones, and documents several cases of young adults being drafted and sent to the front line.

The experts estimated that about 1.6 million children living in Crimea, occupied by Russia in 2014, or in eastern Ukrainian regions partly controlled by Russia, are at risk. Kyiv believes 20,610 children have been brought to Russian territory.

The report recommends putting children on the agenda in any talks on ending the conflict and calls for humanitarian corridors to allow families to reunite. It was produced under the OSCE's Moscow Mechanism after 41 states triggered the process on May 14. The experts conducted interviews and fieldwork in Ukraine from June 6 to 11. Russia did not cooperate.