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Russia Takes Ukrainian Children From Temporarily Occupied Territories Under “Recreation” Program
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Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SZRU) has received information indicating that Ukrainian children have again been removed from temporarily occupied territories and taken to Russia, with at least two placed under guardianship in the Moscow region.
According to the intelligence service on September 9, children from an orphanage in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s Donetsk region were taken to Russia this summer under the pretext of a “recreation” program.
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The SZRU said it is currently working to establish their whereabouts and circumstances.
The intelligence service described the case as part of an established practice in which Ukrainian children are taken to Russia under the guise of vacations, rehabilitation programs, or participation in cultural and educational activities. Some of those taken away are then not returned.
According to the SZRU, Russian occupation administrations, guardianship authorities, and organizers of such trips are involved in the process. Once in Russia, the children come under the control of local authorities, which can determine where they will subsequently live and their legal status.
The SZRU warned that the reported removals form part of a broader system in Russia that exposes children to various forms of exploitation.
According to the agency, this includes state-linked practices such as involving children in work at defense industry enterprises or their potential recruitment by Russian intelligence services. The SZRU also alleged risks of criminal exploitation, including sex trafficking, human trafficking, illicit organ transplantation, and other abuses.
The latest case comes amid ongoing Ukrainian efforts to locate and return children forcibly taken by Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this year that more than 2,100 Ukrainian children had been brought back through the Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
In a Telegram post on April 22, Zelenskyy said that 150 of those children had been returned since the beginning of 2026.
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