A Ukrainian teenager, Slava, from the Kherson region, whom the Russians took from the occupied territory, is being prepared for service in the Russian military.
This is reported by the Regional Center for Human Rights.
It is noted that the Russians showed the boy’s story in one of their propaganda films. His foster mother did not hide that Slava is from Ukraine.
According to human rights activists, the boy tried on Russian military camouflage, likely preparing for service. At the end of June, his photo in military uniform and a bulletproof vest was also published online.
“Do today what others do not want to do — and tomorrow you will reap what others will not be able to achieve. Risk is the price of success. Your potential is beyond your comfort zone. Act, even if you are afraid. Every great journey begins with a small step,” wrote Slava’s foster mother.
The Regional Center for Human Rights notes that they are tracking the fates of Ukrainian children whom Russia illegally took from occupied territories and handed over to Russian families.
“Children grow up and become young people whose fate the aggressor state determined at the moment of their unlawful removal,” the human rights defenders emphasized.
According to them, since 2024 the majority of Russian families that take custody of Ukrainian children from occupied territories include at least one participant in the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine.
Earlier it was reported that the story of Oleksandr Mustyatse from the village of Krynky in the Kherson region became the first recorded case when a child who was listed in the state register “Children of War” as missing later turned out to be a servicemember of the Russian army.