Seven individuals suspected of militarizing children in the occupied territories through "Yunarmia" - Prosecutor's Office
Kyiv • UNN
Seven Ukrainian citizens have been served with notices of suspicion for involving minors in a military-patriotic movement controlled by the Russian armed forces. This movement, known as "Yunarmia," prepares children for service in the Russian army and fosters loyalty to the aggressor.
Seven individuals involved in the Russian militarization of Ukrainian children in the occupied territories have been served with notices of suspicion, the Prosecutor General's Office announced on Thursday, UNN reports.
Juvenile prosecutors of the Prosecutor General's Office have served notices of suspicion to seven citizens of Ukraine who involved minors in the activities of a military-patriotic movement controlled by the armed forces of the Russian Federation.
According to the investigation, the so-called "Yunarmia" (Young Army), created by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, is expanding its activities in the temporarily occupied territories. Its goal is to foster loyalty to the aggressor state and prepare children for service in its army.
According to the National Police, under the guise of "military-patriotic" education, elements of military training were systematically practiced on children: drill training, weapon handling, combat tactics training, and ideological indoctrination aimed at fostering a hostile attitude towards Ukraine.
"Children from Donetsk and nearby settlements, and later from the newly occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, fell into the system," the police reported.
As stated by the prosecutor's office, there are documented cases where, upon reaching adulthood, Yunarmia trainees participated in hostilities against Ukraine.
The materials of the criminal proceedings, as reported by the police, include, in particular, the example of an 18-year-old resident of Horlivka who, in 2014, as a child, fell under the influence of this system, and in 2023, with his mother's consent, joined the movement and subsequently the ranks of the armed forces of the Russian Federation. The young man died in June 2024 during combat operations.
Similar facts, noted the police, are confirmed by photographic materials and other sources in open networks.
The head of the regional headquarters and six leaders of local units in Donetsk Oblast involved more than 6,000 Ukrainian children in this movement between 2019 and 2025. They were given drill and initial military training, and encouraged to join the armed forces of the Russian Federation.
The actions of the suspects, according to the prosecutor's office, are classified, in particular, as violations of the laws and customs of war (Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
As reported by the police, among the suspects are the head of the regional branch of "Yunarmia" in Donetsk Oblast, his deputy, the heads of city cells in Makiivka, Kirovsk, and Torez, the head of the local headquarters of "Moloda Hvardiya - Yunarmia," as well as individuals responsible for recruitment, training programs, and logistical support. "Based on the investigation materials, ten individuals involved in organizing and overseeing the activities of 'Yunarmia' at the regional and local levels have been served with notices of suspicion," the police statement reads.