Russia Conscripting Abducted Ukrainian Children into Armed Forces, UK Intel Reports

Russia is forcibly transferring Ukrainian children from occupied territories and conscripting them into its armed forces once they turn 18, according to a UK Defense Intelligence report published on September 3.

Ukrainian officials said that many of these children were abducted from illegally occupied regions and later pressured to take part in combat against their own country. The report warns that this practice represents a systematic violation of international law and human rights.

More than 19,500 Ukrainian children have already been deported to Russia and occupied Crimea, with some independent estimates suggesting the true figure may be as high as 35,000. Of these, around 6,000 children are believed to have been placed in so-called “re-education camps.” From there, they are reportedly transferred to military training facilities once they reach their late teens.

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War in Ukraine

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UK intelligence assessed that Russia’s senior leadership views abducted Ukrainian children as a pool of current and future military manpower. It added that the Kremlin perceives little domestic risk from these practices, assuming that Russian public awareness of such abductions is minimal.

Analysts further concluded that the abduction and forced conscription of Ukrainian children is part of Russia’s broader Russification strategy in occupied territories—a campaign designed to erase Ukrainian culture, identity, and statehood.

Earlier, UK Defense Secretary John Healey honored Admiral Sir Tony Radakin as he steps down after three years as Chief of the Defense Staff, lauding him as a “driving force behind the Coalition of the Willing” and a steadfast supporter of Ukraine.

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