Ukrainian children being trained by Russia to fight against their country

Participants are given a special uniform and sent to training camps in Russia during school holidays.

Yunarmia was founded in 2016 by Sergei Shoigu, then Russian Defense Minister and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin.

Currently, it is estimated that the organization has 1.8 million children in its ranks, the vast majority in Russia, including 43,000 children in occupied Ukraine.

The organization is believed to be actively recruiting more Ukrainian children in all Russian-occupied territories.

According to Vladislav Golovin, leader of Yunarmia, by May 2025, more than 120,000 of its graduates were serving in the Russian Armed Forces.

Golovin is a Russian marine who took part in the siege of Mariupol, a city in southern Ukraine that came under intense Russian bombing during the first weeks of the all-out invasion in 2022. Thousands of civilians were killed and tens of thousands of homes were destroyed.

Golovin says Yunarmia’s mission is to instill “Russia’s presence at every step” of a child’s life.

Children are taught to kiss the Russian flag, sing the national anthem, and assemble and handle weapons. They are also encouraged to fight.

One student remembers being told that age did not matter: If Ukraine attacked Russia, they should take up arms, young recruits were told.

Golovin also serves as deputy director of another youth organization, known as the First Movement, which works to promote the “traditional spiritual and moral values” of the “Russian world.”

After Russia annexed four Ukrainian regions in 2022, Yunarmia began mass recruitment of children in the region. In the Donetsk region alone, the BBC estimates that there are currently 180 official units of Yunarmia.

In Mariupol, local authorities openly encourage young people to prepare for war, using slogans such as “fight evil” and “resilience.”

According to the Ukrainian Center for Combating Disinformation, some schools have created “Unermia classes” and are pressuring parents to register their children under the threat of fines or restricted access to school services.

In compulsory school classes, as well as those taught by Yunarmia – both in the occupied territories and in Russia – Ukraine is often portrayed as a neo-Nazi state and its existence as a nation is denied.

Children are taught that Russia is strong and that Ukraine caused the collapse of the Soviet Union more than 30 years ago.

Outside of the classroom, Yunarmiya’s social media shows a wide range of military training and related activities: from target shooting and first aid to searching for the remains of World War II soldiers.

Between January and August 2025, the BBC estimates that the group organized at least 1,275 such events in the Donetsk region of occupied Ukraine.

Here, children meet Russian military recruits and veterans for what is called a special military operation (a Russian term for the invasion of Ukraine).

Participants receive training in handling weapons, including flamethrowers, machine guns and grenades; In flying drones and hacking satellite communications systems.

The BBC estimates that more than 15% of the activities at these events are non-military, such as cleaning up parks or visiting museums, but even these activities often include ideological messages.

The BBC found that these events often focus on World War II and draw comparisons between the Nazis and what Russian authorities call “neo-Nazis” from Ukraine.

These camps receive and train children from Ukraine and occupied Russia.

Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health have identified 210 such centers, of which about 20% are dedicated exclusively to military training.

The centers established by the Russian authorities teach combat tactics, engineering and war medicine.

Ukrainian children in the occupied territories also participate in Russian military competitions such as Zarnitsa 2.0, which are held in schools and aim to simulate combat conditions.

Yunarmiya members also regularly visit schools to recruit new members by organizing events.

Ukrainian authorities stated that Russia has deported at least 19,600 Ukrainian children to its territory since the beginning of the conflict, and documented cases of Ukrainian youth who were forcibly conscripted into the Russian army when they reached the age of 18 years.

In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued two arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova Belova, the Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights, accusing them of forcibly transporting Ukrainian children. The United Nations has stated that these transfers constitute war crimes.

Moscow denies that it was carried out by force, and claims that it was carried out to protect affected children. Russian authorities also deny obstructing the return of Ukrainian children to their homes.

Ukraine has managed to repatriate more than 1,500 children to the country, with the help of organizations such as Save Ukraine. International efforts continue, including the work of First Lady Olena Zelenska and Qatari mediation.

Forced conscription has also been reported in the occupied territories, with the last round taking place in late 2024, according to Ukrainian military intelligence.

As a result, it is believed that Ukrainians died fighting against their country.

Human rights activists say this is part of Moscow’s strategy to divide Ukrainian society and create a base for mobilization.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office is investigating a number of Yunarmia leaders on charges of arming children, in violation of the laws and customs of war.

International law prohibits the recruitment of minors into the armies of occupying forces, and as a result, Russia may be violating numerous treaties.

Yunarmia has not responded to these accusations, but the Russian authorities have always maintained that the children who are part of the organization are there voluntarily and strive to become good Russian citizens and defenders of Russia in the future.

The names of some contributors to this article have been changed to protect their identities. Additional reporting by Marianna Matviychuk.

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