Leaders of military children's clubs in Crimea have been put on trial

<span><span><span><span><span><span>Prosecutors in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea have filed a case in court against the leaders of the “Union of Crimean Border Guards,” the “Varyag” club, and the maritime training center of the same name. They are accused of training Crimean children for service in the Russian military.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General. </span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>The defendants were notified of their status as suspects in war crimes in April 2026.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>According to the investigation, under the guise of military-patriotic education, the leaders of these institutions systematically prepared Ukrainian children in occupied Crimea for future service in the Russian armed forces. The students were taught how to handle small arms, combat tactics, field training, rescue operations, and light diving. Shooting exercises, tactical drills, and military games were conducted for them, and members of the so-called “SVO” were involved in the training sessions.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>In 2023, the defendants received nearly 4.5 million rubles for their activities, as well as a plot of land in Simferopol, where they established a training complex for basic military training.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>The investigation documented at least four cases in which graduates of the “Varyag” club, upon reaching the age of majority, joined the Russian army or began working for the occupying law enforcement agencies.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

Previously, the Back to Ukraine team had, for the first time, identified a case in which a missing child from the Kherson region had joined the Russian army and was fighting against Ukraine.Oleksandr Mustyats fromthe village of Krynky is still listed as missing in the state registry “Children of War.” On his social media page, he posted photos of himself in uniform bearing the “Z” symbol and the Russian flag, as well as from the positions from which he fought against Ukraine. In a later photo, he is wearing a head bandage, presumably after being wounded. 

Юлія Калабайда