Russia reportedly uses social services for repression and child labor in occupied Ukraine

Russia has turned social institutions in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories into instruments of repression, Ukrainian officials say. 

The National Resistance Center (NRC) reports that in “Henichesk, the occupation administration has turned the ‘Commission for Juvenile Affairs’ into a punitive mechanism, forcing teenagers from ‘dysfunctional’ families to serve out their status in forced labor camps under the guise of ‘patriotic education.’”.

At a recent commission session that reviewed 17 cases, the NRC confirmed plans to use children as cheap labor and propaganda tools.

The 1977 Geneva Conventions state that “cruel treatment” and “outrages upon personal dignity” are prohibited. This could be interpreted to forbid certain exploitative or forced labor practices, especially when applied to children.

“The occupiers openly stated the need to ‘involve troubled teens in volunteer work and patriotic activities,’” the NRC statement said.

The NRC said that in practice, this means forced labor: children are made to clean streets, plant trees, and participate in military-propaganda events, often appearing in staged materials for Russian media.

“Under duress, teenagers are sent to ‘labor camps’ where they must ‘work off’ their status as ‘troubled youth.’ Refusal is not an option, as families face ongoing pressure and the threat of new administrative cases,” the NRC said.

The center emphasized that this is not care but coercion — “humiliation and exploitation of minors to legitimize the occupation authorities.”

The pressure is particularly alarming for boys aged 16-17. Officials increasingly threaten them with registration in military conscription offices. Any “misbehavior” or refusal to participate in propaganda could lead to compulsory military training and involvement in the war.

“Henichesk is a horrific example of how Russia turns social services into a tool of repression, using children as hostages and resources for propaganda under the occupation flag,” the NRC said.

As reported earlier, Russian authorities on occupied Ukrainian territories are preparing a new wave of deportations, planning to relocate Ukrainians from temporarily occupied towns and villages to Siberia.