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Russia’s War in Ukraine

Understanding the conflict four years on.

As Russian strikes pummel Ukrainian cities, a quieter, systemic crisis also threatens Ukraine’s future. For Russia, targeting Ukrainian youth is not merely collateral damage; it is demographic warfare aimed at erasing Ukrainian identity. For the millions of children forced to grow up in a war zone, the trauma extends far beyond the front lines, stretching from occupied reeducation camps to disrupted homes across the country.

Children kidnapped by Russian forces in the occupied territories have received the most global attention. Since Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014, and the full-scale attack on Ukraine in 2022, a huge number, possibly into the millions, of Ukrainian children have found themselves living under Russian rule—either in Ukraine or relocated to Russia. There, they have been forced to attend Russian schools and facilities, where they are bombarded with pro-Russian propaganda and drip-fed stories intended to eventually turn them into soldiers for their kidnappers.

As Russian strikes pummel Ukrainian cities, a quieter, systemic crisis also threatens Ukraine’s future. For Russia, targeting Ukrainian youth is not merely collateral damage; it is demographic warfare aimed at erasing Ukrainian identity. For the millions of children forced to grow up in a war zone, the trauma extends far beyond the front lines, stretching from occupied reeducation camps to disrupted homes across the country.

Children kidnapped by Russian forces in the occupied territories have received the most global attention. Since Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014, and the full-scale attack on Ukraine in 2022, a huge number, possibly into the millions, of Ukrainian children have found themselves living under........

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