Camps in the TOT of Crimea as an instrument of indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children. Examples in June 2024
The most “striking” events of June in the temporarily occupied territory (TOT) of Crimea in terms of child rights violations occurred during the so-called summer recreation campaign.
This year, the occupation authorities of Crimea have stated that they expect to take about 190,000 children for “recreation”, of whom 48,000 are planned to be brought from other regions of the Russian Federation, including the TOT of Ukraine, which Russia disguises as “new territories”. Last summer, 55,400 children stayed in 30 suburban camps in Crimea during the summer holidays on preferential vouchers. In particular, from the occupied regions of Ukraine: Zaporizhzhia – 4358 children, Kherson – 727, Donetsk and Luhansk – over 4,000.
De facto, this “rest” is used for patriotic and military events in accordance with the main narratives of Russian ideology, introducing changes with enhanced military training, military training camps, games and festivals aimed at integrating Ukrainian children into the educational and upbringing space of the Russian Federation. These facts indicate a systematic approach to measures aimed at forming a Russian identity among Ukrainian children, their militarisation and involvement in activities in support of the Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Ukraine.
Such actions violate a number of provisions of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Firstly, Article 49 IV of the Geneva Convention prohibits the forced transfer of residents of temporarily occupied territories. Secondly, the use of recreation for the actual “re-education” of children violates Article 8 (the child’s right to preserve his or her identity), Article 19 (protection of the child from all forms of physical and psychological violence, injury or abuse), Article 31 (the child’s right to rest and leisure) of the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of the Child, to which the Russian Federation is a party.
Already in June of this year, events for children, including those from the temporarily occupied territories, took place in the children’s camps of the TOT of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, aimed at indoctrination, eradication of national Ukrainian consciousness, Russification and militarisation of children.
Just a few examples:
Responsibility?
On 24 June, the EU Council of Ministers unveiled the 14th package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, which included the Artek International Children’s Centre camp.
“Artek is one of the largest camps in the TOT of Crimea, where thousands of children from the occupied territories are taken for so-called “holidays”. The administration of the camp cooperates with the youth movement ‘Yunarmiya’, ‘Movement of the First’, and the Russian military, including the Russian Navy, with the assistance of which thematic military-patriotic shifts are organised, where children undergo military training. Usually, during these sessions, children are dressed in military uniforms and are trained in basic military, firearms, and sports training with weapons in their hands.
Also, during the so-called “rest”, children are actively involved in propaganda events dedicated to the occupation of the peninsula, the so-called Crimean Spring; events aimed at glorifying the participants of the so-called AFU; in the camps, the performance of the Russian anthem and the raising of the Russian flag are mandatory, which is aimed at imposing a sense of belonging to Russia.
In fact, Artek was included in the EU sanctions list for organising a specific “summer holiday”, and earlier in 2023, in the UK and US sanctions lists.
However, Artek is only one of the camps in the TOT of Crimea that implements policies aimed at indoctrinating and militarising children from the TOT of Ukraine. Therefore, the pressure must increase.
