Kidnapped Ukrainian children are being forced to make drones and weapons in russia
Kidnapped Ukrainian children in camps and special centers in Russia are forced to work in the production of drones, mine detectors, and other military equipment.
Kidnapped Ukrainian children in camps and special centers in Russia are forced to work in the production of drones, mine detectors, and other military equipment.
This is stated in a study by the Humanities Research Laboratory at Yale University, which indicates at least 210 facilities where deported children are being held. American experts have recorded that in Russian camps, children from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions are not only kept in inhumane conditions, but also involved in «developing technologies» for the war against Ukraine.
In particular, at the so-called «All-Russian Children’s Center „Zmina“» in Krasnodar Krai, minors developed and assembled suicide drones, robots, mine detectors, and devices for rapid loading of machine guns. According to the study, at least 300 Ukrainian children have passed through this camp since 2022.
The camp management is covered up by «innovative programs» and «technical circles», but in fact the children perform work that has a direct military purpose. Some of these programs are organized by «Yunarmiya» — a paramilitary youth organization under the auspices of the Russian Ministry of Defense. They conduct courses in combat training, tactical medicine, weapons handling and impose the Russian version of history. Satellite images from April 2025 showed children lining up in formation on the territory of the center.
Separately, researchers note the «Young Patriot Center» near Moscow, which was opened in 2023. There, children from the Luhansk region were divided into «platoons,» dressed in tactical gear, and taught to assemble and disassemble weapons. The program included physical tests, medical training, and military-technical tasks. The last group of children arrived there in July 2025.
In total, approximately 40 facilities have been identified where deported Ukrainian children are being trained to serve in the Russian army. Some of them belong to Russian state structures, in particular the Presidential Administration, while others are located at private recreation centers and even on territory owned by the Russian Orthodox Church.
According to official Ukrainian data, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, almost 20,000 cases of child deportations have been documented, but the real figure may be much higher. The head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, stressed that the use of children for military purposes is direct evidence of crimes against humanity: «Russia plans to turn Ukrainian children into weapons against us and Europe.»
Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa added that the return of deported children home should be a condition for any dialogue: «These children are not only deprived of their family and home, they have experienced systematic deportation, illegal adoption, and forced militarization. The world has no right to turn a blind eye to these crimes.»
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how Russia is using Telegram chats linked to drug trafficking to recruit Ukrainian children into subversive activities against the state. First, they lure them with money, and then they move on to blackmail and physical violence.
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