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Ukraine Identifies Leaders of Russian “Youth Army” Recruiting Thousands of Children in Occupied Territories
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Ukrainian law enforcement has uncovered the leadership of the so-called “Yunarmiya” (Youth Army) operating in the Russian-occupied part of Donetsk region, where children are being trained for military service under Russian control.
The discovery was announced by the National Police and the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine on October 30.
According to police, what Russia described as “military-patriotic education” was, in fact, systematic military training for minors. Children were taught marching drills, handling firearms, and combat tactics, while also being subjected to ideological indoctrination aimed at fostering hatred toward Ukraine.
The recruitment network initially targeted children from Donetsk and nearby towns, later expanding to newly occupied territories in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Law enforcement documented the full process of how children were recruited and militarized in occupied Donetsk, as well as the chain of command of those involved.
Expert linguistic and semantic examinations carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine confirmed that the group’s activity went far beyond ordinary cultural or educational work, police reported. Instead, “Yunarmiya” functioned as a propaganda tool designed to mobilize and prepare future soldiers. Documents seized during the investigation—including the organization’s 2030 development strategy — reveal plans to reach large numbers of children and eventually channel some of them into Russia’s military forces.
According to police, millions of minors are already involved in “Yunarmiya” across Russia and occupied territories. Official Kremlin decrees openly describe the movement as a system for pre-conscription military preparation.
Between 2019 and 2025, the head of the Donetsk regional “Yunarmiya” headquarters and six subordinate leaders recruited over 6,000 Ukrainian children, the Prosecutor General’s Office reported. They were promised special privileges and career opportunities in the Russian military.
Case materials include the story of an 18-year-old from Horlivka who first came under the program’s influence as a child in 2014. In 2023, with his mother’s consent, he officially joined the movement and later enlisted in a Russian armed formation. He was killed in battle in June 2024.
Police have now identified all key figures involved in running the Donetsk “Yunarmiya” branch. Among the suspects are the regional leader, his deputy, local heads in Makiivka, Kirovskyi, and Torez, the chief of the “Young Guard — Yunarmiya” headquarters, and several individuals responsible for recruitment, training programs, and logistics.
Ten suspects have been formally charged. If convicted, they face up to 12 years in prison.
Law enforcement also emphasized that forcing or coercing minors into combat or mobilizing them under occupation authorities constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law, specifically Article 51 of the Geneva Convention.
Earlier, in the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Russia’s Military-Historical Society introduced new school textbooks for students in grades 5 through 7. These editions, titled Textbooks on the History of Donbas and Novorossiya, were developed under the direct supervision of Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky.
