Russia is actively working on recruiting Ukrainian children and involving them in subversive activities against Ukraine. This refers to children living outside the occupied territories. To date, according to information provided by Deputy Prosecutor General Viktor Lohachov during the United for Justice international conference, the Russian Federation has managed to involve more than 261 children in such activities, UNN reports.
Russian policy is directed against Ukrainian children not only in the occupied territories but also in the territory under our control. Children have become targets for recruitment and use in conducting subversive activities against Ukraine. (...) To date, over 261 children have already been involved in such actions, more than 50 of whom have not even reached the age of 15, and the youngest is only 11 years old
According to him, this began under the guise of job offers for a reward.
Currently, we are already recording cases of child recruitment during online games. The child effectively falls into a trap. Spyware is installed on phones, and the child is gradually drawn in. When they can no longer refuse, pressure, intimidation, and blackmail begin. They are threatened with reports to law enforcement agencies or with physical violence—both against the child and their relatives
The methods of using children, according to Lohachov, have also transformed over time.
"It started with setting cars on fire or passing information to the enemy, and progressed to committing terrorist acts. At the same time, such children not only endanger others, they themselves become victims and die from these actions," Lohachov explained.