Monitoring Report “Universal Soldier” (April-June 2024)
Having full control over the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, the Russian Federation continues to strengthen its influence on the minds of Ukrainian children and youth who remain under occupation.
For this purpose, a whole network of tools has been launched to destroy Ukrainian identity, militarize and fully assimilate the population of the occupied territories and make children want to support the armed forces of the Russian Federation, including voluntary enlistment in the RF army upon reaching the appropriate age.
This policy is implemented through various programs/activities/contests/events carried out by the RF and the occupation authorities under its control with the participation of youth movements and organizations, which are scaling up and rapidly expanding their activities to all the TOT. Military and propaganda activities are increasingly being incorporated into the educational process recreation of children. Russian holidays, memorial days and events are also used to conduct this type of activities.
Between April and June 2024, the monitors recorded that
- Ukrainian children and youth from the TOT were engaged in military and propaganda events dedicated to the holidays “9 May” (“Victory Day”), “Day of Russia”, “The Last School Bell”,
- as well as the start of summer camps
- the start of the new season of the programmes “University Sessions” and the “Cultural Map 4+85”
- etc.
The actions recorded during the monitoring period, which the RF is committing in the TOT directly or through the occupation authorities under its control, constitute the violations:
- Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
- Article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
- Article 29, 38 and 39 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Article 50 of the Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (Fourth Geneva Convention)
- Article 51 of the Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (Fourth Geneva Convention).
The monitoring report was prepared by the Centre for Civic Education “Almenda” as part of the project “Childhood Unchained: Standing Against Occupation`s Impact”. The project is implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic as part of the Transition Promotion Programme. The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not reflect the official position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
