“Russian occupiers illegally transfer Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied territories to so-called “re-education camps” not only in Russia and Belarus, but also in North Korea.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Kateryna Rashevska. Screenshot Source: Kateryna Rashevska, expert in international justice and legal analysis of the Regional Center for Human Rights hearings in the US Senate December 3, quoting “Public“
Details: According to the human rights activist, her organization has documented the existence of 165 “re-education” camps. In these institutions, Ukrainian children are subjected to forced militarization and Russification.
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Rashevska emphasized that the geography of the removal of minors has expanded: similar camps now operate not only in the occupied territories of Ukraine, the Russian Federation and Belarus, but also in the DPRK.
During her speech, the lawyer showed photos of Ukrainian children who ended up in North Korea. It is about 12-year-old Mykhailo from the occupied part of Donetsk region and 16-year-old Liza from occupied Simferopol.
According to human rights activists, these children were sent to the Songdowon camp, located 9,000 kilometers from their home.
“In this camp, children were taught to destroy Japanese soldiers and were introduced to Korean veterans who attacked the American ship Pueblo in 1968, killing and wounding nine American soldiers,” Rashevska said.
The expert noted that Russia officially calls the removal of Ukrainian children “evacuation”. However, according to international humanitarian law, such a procedure has clear limitations and obligations, which the aggressor country does not comply with.
In particular, the law requires the occupying state to take all possible measures for family reunification. In addition, Russia was obliged to provide lists of abducted children to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Rashevska stressed that the evacuation is exceptional and temporary in nature. The Russian Federation should regularly assess the security situation and immediately return children as soon as the grounds for their displacement disappear.
The lawyer stated that Russia has not fulfilled any of these obligations.
Read also: They are already fighting against Ukraine. How children in occupied Luhansk are prepared for service in the Russian army
Prehistory:
- December 3 UN General Assembly adopted the resolution by a majority votewhich demands that the Russian Federation immediately and without any preconditions return all illegally deported Ukrainian children.
- According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Russia has deported at least 20,000 Ukrainian children to date. Ukraine has so far managed to return home only 1,850 of them.
- Only in 2025 in the Russian Federation took to the camps for the re-education of almost 11 thousand Ukrainian children.