Russia is recruiting abducted Ukrainian children into its military, Zelenskyy says
Russia has begun bringing Ukrainians abducted as children into its armed forces as they reach adulthood, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on November 5.
Speaking at a special panel on Ukraine during the 30th Ibero-American Summit, Zelenskyy said Russia had taken tens of thousands of Ukrainian children during the war and that some had since grown up and joined the Russian military.
"This is horrific. It must stop," he said.
The president urged international partners to raise the issue publicly and draw attention to Russia's actions against Ukrainian children.
"Our team and our diplomats are ready to provide you with all the necessary information," Zelenskyy said.
He did not specify how many of the abducted Ukrainians had entered the Russian armed forces or provide details of individual cases.
According to Ukraine's Bring Kids Back initiative, Russia has deported more than 20,000 Ukrainian children since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022. More than 2,500 had been returned to Ukraine as of September 2026.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia's children's rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova over the alleged unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied Ukrainian territory.
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