Troubling revelations have emerged amidst the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with reports indicating that Russian forces have been actively recruiting Ukrainian teenagers into their military ranks.
According to media reports, Ukrainian authorities estimate that since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, approximately 20,000 children have been forcibly transported to Russia.
Shockingly, more than 2,100 children remain unaccounted for, raising concerns about their well-being and safety. Bohdan Yermokhin’s harrowing journey serves as a poignant example of this distressing trend.
Deported from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol by Russian forces in the spring of 2022, Yermokhin found himself thrust into a foreign environment in Moscow.
Placed under the care of a foster family and enrolled in a patriotic camp near the capital, Yermokhin faced attempts at indoctrination with nationalistic fervor through songs and propaganda.
Despite his Ukrainian identity, he was issued a Russian passport and compelled to attend a Russian school. As he approached his 18th birthday, he received a summons from a Russian military recruitment office, prompting him to defiantly declare his intent to fight for his homeland, not against it.
Yermokhin’s case is not an isolated incident. He was among the “Mariupol 31,” a group of children forcibly relocated to Russia. Last March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, citing their alleged involvement in the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children.
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, condemned Russia’s actions as part of a broader campaign to erase Ukrainian identity and replenish its military ranks.
International legal bodies, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and Human Rights Watch, have decried Russia’s actions as violations of the Geneva Conventions and war crimes.
Despite assertions by Russian authorities, children were transferred without proper oversight, often lacking guardians or parental consent. Lubinets highlighted Russian efforts to compel Ukrainians in occupied territories to serve in the military, describing a systematic process of erasing Ukrainian identity and coercing military service.
Yermokhin’s experience reflects the inconsistencies in Russia’s approach. Despite claims of being Russian-born and denial of his Ukrainian identity, his Russian passport listed his birthplace as “Ukraine, the city of Mariupol.” Lvova-Belova suggested that Yermokhin, still a student, could defer military service until completing his education.
As international scrutiny intensifies, concerns persist about the fate of Ukrainian teenagers caught in the crossfire of conflict and geopolitical tensions.
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