Abduction and Russification of Kherson Children: A Tragic Reality

When the Russians were retreating from Kherson in the fall of 2022, they kidnapped children from a local orphanage. Now these boys and girls are being held in Russian institutions, their documents are being changed, they are being passed off as Russians and used in propaganda.

This was reported by activists of the Yellow Ribbon resistance movement.

The so-called "Minister of Labor and Social Protection" of the occupied Kherson region recently visited the Yolochka children's institution in Russia, where at least 10 abducted Kherson children are being held. She also confirmed that from 2022 to 2024, 42 children from Kherson region were transferred to Russian families. In fact, this means forced Russification - children are deprived of their native language, culture and identity.

An activist of the Yellow Ribbon movement says: "When the Russians were retreating, they said they were 'saving' children. But what kind of rescue is it if they take them to a foreign country, change their documents, and prevent them from returning? Recently there was terrible news - a boy from such a "foster family" committed suicide because his new "parents" hated him. And this is only what has become known. In fact, there are more such cases. Russia pays money to those who take these children into families without checking into whose hands they fall."

There are about 1.5 million children in the temporarily occupied territories, all of whom are under the threat of deportation.

Also in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson region, the Russian authorities are actively taking measures aimed at militarizing children and youth in general. One of the key tools of this process is the involvement of minors in the so-called "Yunarmiya".

Previously, the occupation authorities of Kherson region forced children to tear up the graves of victims of Nazi mass shootings in 1941-1943 near Henichesk. The invaders called this involvement of schoolchildren in the exhumation of human remains"patriotic education." In addition to children, heavy machinery was also involved in the "search work," which could simply destroy the burial site.

Андрій Колісніченко