Sept. 4, 2025, 2:43 p.m.

Occupants took children from Kherson region to a captured island near Japan

(Korney Andronnikov. SCREEN SHOT: Save Ukraine)

Children from the Kherson region were taken by the Russian occupiers to a captured island near Japan, where they are being held in <b>military uniforms</b> and <b>under the Russian flag</b>.

This was reported by Mykola Kuleba, co-founder and head of the Save Ukraine organization.

On the island of <b>Shumshu</b>, which Russia occupied in 1945, Ukrainian children from the occupied territories are being trained for war. The Russians call them<b>"cadets</b> " in order to make them <b>soldiers of the Russian army</b>. In particular, a video has been published with a boy from Kherson region, <b>Korniy Andronnikov</b>, who was recruited by the occupiers to one of these centers, the "Warrior".

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Children are forced out of their homes, taught to hate their homeland and to hold weapons. According to those who managed to escape, they were taken to military camps and forced to enter military academies. There is a threat that in a year or two these children may find themselves on the battlefield against Ukraine.

Earlier, another group of children from the occupied Kherson region returned home. This was made possible thanks to the Bring Kids Back UA initiative and the help of Save Ukraine. Now the children are undergoing rehabilitation, receiving psychological help, restoring their documents, and are able to continue their education.

The group of those evacuated on August 7 includes orphans, children deprived of parental care, and those who have one or both parents. In particular, they include a 5-year-old boy who witnessed his mother's death during a Russian drone attack; three children who had been staying in their homes for a long time because of the threat of confiscation; and a 4-year-old girl and her mother who lived on a mined street.

Катерина Глушко

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