Feb. 6, 2026, 7:42 p.m.
(ILLUSTRATION: ombudsman.gov.ua)
Under the guise of "patriotic education," Russia has been training Ukrainian children for years to serve in the army, particularly in Crimea and Kherson region. Eight defendants have been notified of suspicion.
This was reported by the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office.
Juvenile prosecutors of the Prosecutor General's Office have served suspicion notices to eight Ukrainian citizens who, as part of an organized group, ensured the functioning of the "Yunarmiya" in the temporarily occupied territories. Their actions are qualified under Part 3 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The investigation established that the all-Russian children's and youth military-patriotic movement "Yunarmiya" was created in 2016 on the initiative of the then Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation. Subsequently, its activities were expanded to the occupied territories of Ukraine, in particular in Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
Under the guise of "patriotic education," children were taught how to handle weapons, tactical actions, and were forced to take military marches and oaths of allegiance to Russia. In parallel, there was active promotion of service in the armed forces of the Russian Federation, which was presented as a promising and socially beneficial path.
According to the Strategy for the Development of Patriotic Education of the Russian Federation, at least 10% of new recruits should be recruited from among the members of the Unarmy every year, which indicates the systematic use of the movement to form a mobilization reserve.
In the period from 2019 to 2025 alone, about 6,000 Ukrainian children aged 6 to 18 were involved in the movement. There have been cases when, after reaching the age of majority, members of the movement joined the Russian army and took part in hostilities against Ukraine.
The Criminal Code of Ukraine provides for a sentence of up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property for committing these crimes.
Also in January, Eskender Bariiev , Chairman of the Board of the CTRC, reported that 318 Crimeans who became victims of Russian indoctrination and militarization took part in the war against Ukraine and were liquidated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Анна Бальчінос