PRESS RELEASE : Ukrainian children deserve to learn and grow in a safe environment, free from Russian aggression: UK statement to the OSCE [September 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 5 September 2024.

Ambassador Holland condemns the impact of Russia’s illegal war on the safety, education, identity and future of Ukraine’s children.

Thank you, Mister Chair. As children around the world returned to school this week, in Ukraine they continue to face significant obstacles due to Russia’s ongoing war of aggression.

Across Ukraine, thousands of schools and children’s facilities have been damaged or destroyed by Russia’s military attacks. Over the last week, Russia has intensified its aerial attacks against Ukraine, hitting, among other civilian locations, schools in Lviv, nurseries in Kyiv and a centre for the social and psychological rehabilitation of children in Sumy. These have caused a number of casualties, including a 14-year-old girl who was killed in a Russian attack on a playground in Kharkiv. Our thoughts are with all the victims and their loved ones.

The UN now estimates that over 600 Ukrainian children have been killed since February 2022. This constant threat of violence has made it unsafe for two thirds of children in frontline regions to attend school in person. Most schools in these regions are closed due to ongoing hostilities, while elsewhere thousands cannot reopen because they do not have protective shelters.

Nationwide, half of school aged children rely on some level of remote based education. Yet frequent power outages, caused by Russia’s targeted attacks on Ukraine’s energy facilities, have only led to further disruptions and obstacles to their learning. Instead of experiencing a normal school year, Ukrainian children are often forced to seek shelter from air strikes, to navigate disrupted communities, or even to flee their homes.

At the same time, Ukrainian children going back to school in the Russian-controlled territories of Ukraine are faced with a different kind of challenge. We are seeing growing reports of the systematic indoctrination of children in these areas. The illegitimate Russian authorities have implemented re-education programmes designed to erase Ukrainian identity and to instil pro-Russian sentiments among the youth. Children in these areas are subjected to a curriculum that distorts historical facts, glorifies Russian military actions, and promotes allegiance to Russia. The indoctrination efforts include history lessons that frame Ukraine as part of Russia, and in some cases, military training.

Russia’s strategy to indoctrinate Ukrainian children dates back to its illegal annexation of Crimea ten years ago, before being enforced in the Russian-held parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts since 2022. And Russia’s forced deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children forms part of this strategy. These children are separated from their families and communities, and then deported or forcibly transferred to Russia or Russian-held territories where they are subjected to these indoctrination practices. Reports detail the psychological impact on the children, who are confused and distressed by the forced assimilation and the separation from their families.

Mister Chair, Russia’s deportation of these children is a clear violation of international law and it aims to undermine Ukrainian sovereignty. It represents a grave human rights abuse, as the Russian state attempts to erode Ukraine’s future by reshaping the identities and loyalties of its youngest citizens. The UK and our international partners condemn these practices and call for an immediate end to the deportation, exploitation and manipulation of children in these regions. Russia must be held accountable for its actions. Ukrainian children deserve to learn and grow in a safe environment, free from Russian aggression. Thank you, Mister Chair.