Belarus transported at least 2219 Ukrainian children from the occupied territories of Ukraine: research findings
The transfer of Ukrainian children from the occupied territories of Ukraine to the territory of Belarus is a blatant violation of human rights that has profound humanitarian consequences.
Since the beginning of the war, Belarus, together with Russia, has been actively engaged in the relocation and re-education of Ukrainian children, which has already caused a high-profile international scandal. These actions are disguised as ‘humanitarian missions’, but in reality they are part of a policy of forced assimilation and militarisation of children.
Research conducted by human rights organisations confirms that such actions are aimed at erasing the Ukrainian identity of the most vulnerable members of society – children.The latest report prepared by human rights organisations reveals in detail the scale and methods of this human rights violation.
Belarus moved at least 2219 Ukrainian children from the occupied territories of Ukraine to its territory between 2021 and June 2024.This is stated in a report titled ‘Stolen Childhood: How the Belarusian regime erases the identity of Ukrainian children through displacement, re-education and militarisation’, prepared by the ZMINA Human Rights Centre, the Regional Human Rights Centre, the human rights organisation ‘Viasna’ and BelPol, with the support of Freedom House.
This study was the first to use data on the removal of Ukrainian children obtained through contacts within Belarus. This made it possible to trace the path of the displaced children and their fate after their removal.Right-wing analyst at the ZMINA Human Rights Centre, Onysiia Sinyuk, noted that although the study was completed in June 2024, the practice of transferring Ukrainian children to Belarus continues, and these numbers may increase.
Synyuk stressed that such movements are announced as recreation or rehabilitation programmes, but most children end up in Belarus during the school year, which makes it easier to involve them in Belarusian educational programmes.It is known that at least 27 children who were initially held in Belarusian camps were later transferred to camps in Russia.
The researchers were able to establish the existence of 18 re-education camps in Belarus, which are part of a wider network of 67 institutions in Russia and 13 in the occupied territories. According to Kateryna Rashevska, a lawyer at the Regional Centre for Human Rights, Ukraine did not give any consent to the so-called ‘humanitarian operation’. She also stressed that the camps are subjected to forced measures of re-education and militarisation of children, accompanied by discriminatory actions by the camp administrations.
Belarusian funding, which is declared as ‘humanitarian aid’, is actually used to transfer Ukrainian children from the occupied territories to the territory of Belarus. Both Belarus and Russia actively deny the Ukrainian identity of these children, which is a serious human rights violation. For example, the Belarusian authorities recognise these children as ‘Russians’ and impose Russian citizenship on them. Belarusian state media call them ‘young and new citizens of Russia’. Also, during public events, Ukrainian children are often addressed by Belarusian public figures and officials who promote anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian ideology.
In addition, Ukrainian children become victims of propaganda activities. Belarusian television broadcasts stories in which children call the full-scale invasion of Ukraine a ‘special military operation’ and refer to themselves as ‘Russian children’. In these stories, the children repeat the theses that ‘Ukrainian militants are randomly shelling cities’, that ‘Mariupol is beginning to revive’, and that ‘Russia is saving us’. At the same time, such filming takes place with gross violations of privacy, and the stories often feature the personal data of children.
Another threat is the militarisation of Ukrainian children. During their stay in Belarus, they meet with representatives of Belarusian law enforcement agencies, the military or paramilitary youth organisations. Children already militarised in the occupied territories become agents of influence on their peers. For example, cadets from the Zakharchenko Military Corps, which operates in occupied Donetsk, are actively involved in trips to Belarus and serve as examples for other children, encouraging them to join military educational institutions and youth movements.
Human rights activists have already submitted evidence of the Belarusian regime’s crimes against Ukrainian children to the International Criminal Court. They demand the issuance of arrest warrants for such high-ranking officials as Alexander Lukashenko, Dmitri Mezentsev, Mikhail Mishustin and Alexei Talay. According to the study, these individuals, including Belarusian Paralympian Alexei Talai, are directly involved in the organisation of the forced displacement of Ukrainian children.
