Growing up in Crimea under Russian control, Matvii Chos lived in fear of being conscripted into the Russian military upon reaching adulthood. Chos, now 19, opted to attend a university in Moscow to evade conscription and later fled Russia with the assistance of a Ukrainian non-profit organization.
Chos recalls the early stages of indoctrination and militarization, which began as special cadet classes when he was in sixth grade in 2020. These classes involved training in various military skills such as weapon handling, marching, and tactical medicine, aimed at preparing future soldiers to combat fellow Ukrainians.
According to Chos, Russia’s strategy involves occupying territories, abducting children, and transforming them into Russian soldiers. Many Ukrainian youths in Russian-controlled regions have undergone similar indoctrination and military training, a situation that human rights experts find especially concerning due to the vulnerability of children.
The suppression of Ukrainian culture and language was also evident, with Daria Fursova, now 23, recalling the transition to a curriculum dominated by Russian language and history after Crimea’s annexation in 2014. Speaking Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar was banned, even during breaks, as recounted by 18-year-old Daria Tomashova.
Fursova, who left Crimea for Kyiv in 2021, noted a deterioration in the situation in Crimea, with her former school promoting pro-Russian content and witnessing former classmates joining the Russian army. The international community has raised alarms about Russia’s forcible separation of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denouncing it as mass kidnapping amounting to genocide.
The coordinated effort to return abducted children has resulted in charges at the International Criminal Court against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova. Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand emphasized holding Putin accountable for the abduction of Ukrainian children and ensuring their safe return.
Efforts to bring Ukrainian children back home and support their reintegration have received significant support. Organizations like Save Ukraine, dedicated to identifying and rescuing kidnapped children, play a crucial role in this endeavor. Mykola Kuleba, the organization’s founder, highlighted the urgency of the situation, emphasizing that rescued children merely seek a return to normalcy and peace with their families.
Chos, who managed to escape with Save Ukraine’s assistance, highlighted the challenges faced during his escape and now shares his story alongside Tomashova at international conferences. The couple’s testimonies shed light on the plight of abducted children still awaiting rescue from oppressive circumstances.