Ukrainian Children in Russian Captivity

Another horrifying aspect of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has been given less attention until now but should come more into the spotlight is Russia kidnapping Ukrainian children. And Russian officials freely admit it and even brag about it. According to official estimates Russia has already deported 11000 Ukrainian children, what Zelensky has pointed out in his last address.

The only historical example that immediately comes to my mind is Turks raiding the Balkans, kidnapping children and training them into Janissaries - the elite fighting force that they were later unleashing against their kinsmen on the Balkans. Those children of southern Slavic and Greek origin were forever separated from their families and were made to forget their roots, inculcated with Islam and the ideology of conquest. Their physical fitness and cognitive talents were not only forever lost to their countries of origin, but were weaponized against them. Against their own people.

Genocide does not only, and not necessarily, involve the physical extermination of the people. Depriving the people of their younger generation, and what's more, to turn that generation against their kinsmen through indoctrination is the most sinister and vile form of genocide.

This is what Russia intends to do with Ukrainian children that it kidnapped. Firstly, to solve its own demographic problem. And secondly to utilize their aptitudes against Ukrainians themselves later in the future. In fact, some Russian officials have already talked in the past about the children that they "relocated" from Ukraine to Russia and how they are "re-educating" them to become good Russian patriots and abandon "Ukrainian nationalism". Obviously by the latter they mean simply the children being aware and proud of their Ukrainian roots. This is all no different from what Ottoman Turks were doing in the Middle Ages.

Together with liberation of whole Ukrainian territory the liberation of Ukrainian children from Russian captivity should also be on the agenda for the international community. It is a must. Before Russians forge "Janissaries" out of them and unleash against Europe in the coming decades.