OSCE report: Militarisation and indoctrination of Ukrainian children in Russia and Russian-occupied territories 

 In May, 41 OSCE participating States, including Finland, invoked the Moscow Mechanism in cooperation with Ukraine to investigate militarization and indoctrination of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation.  According to the report published at the meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on 9 July, Russia has sought to erase the Ukrainian national identity of these children and reinforce Russian State-approved narratives. Forcible transfers, deportations and the systematic indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children could amount to crimes against humanity, in addition to violations of international law. The report makes recommendations to the Russian authorities, the OSCE, Ukraine and the international community on ways to take action and reinforce accountability. 

The Moscow Mechanism report assesses the situation and treatment of more than one million Ukrainian children in both Russian-occupied territories and in Russia. The situation of forcibly transferred and deported Ukrainian children has received international attention since the start of Russia’s war of aggression. According to the report’s findings, the circumstances of these children have not improved.
  
According to the report, Russia has committed violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, some of which could amount to war crimes. The report also notes that the indoctrination, militarisation and forcible transfers and deportations of children could constitute crimes against humanity. 

At least 1.6 million Ukrainian children in the occupied territories are subject to Russia’s militarisation and indoctrination. In addition, more than 20,000 children have been forcibly transferred within the Russian-occupied territories or to the Russian territory in violation of international law. According to the report, children are forcibly placed in foster families and taken to so-called summer camps on the grounds of safety concerns. 

The report describes practices by which Russia has systematically sought to erase the Ukrainian identity of these children and reinforce Russian State-approved narratives. Indoctrination refers to the one-sided imposition of doctrines and beliefs while denying the individual the opportunity to question them. Ukrainian children are indoctrinated at every level of the school system. The Russian Ministry of Education has banned Ukrainian-language instruction, and Russian ideologically guided curricula have replaced Ukrainian educational content in the occupied territories. According to the report, parents and teachers face constant harassment and pressure to implement changes in the school system. 

According to the report, Russian legislative architecture in the occupied territories is designed to promote indoctrination and militarizationof Ukrainian children. Russian Federation treats education as an instrument of state security and identity transformation. The law forces Ukrainian children to take Russian citizenship by making access to education, healthcare and other basic services dependent on holding Russian documents. 

The report makes several recommendations to the Russian authorities, OSCE participating States and the international community. The recommendations addressed to the Russian authorities concern halting all practices of indoctrination, militarisation and coercion and immediately facilitating the return of all deported children.  The report calls on OSCE participating States and the international community to support accountability mechanisms and efforts for protection and return of Ukrainian children.

Finland and 40 other participating States invoked the Moscow Mechanism in May 2026. The report was prepared by an independent group of experts appointed under the Mechanism.   

What is the Moscow Mechanism? 

The Moscow Mechanism is an OSCE instrument for assessing the implementation of OSCE human rights commitments in participating States.  Reports prepared under the Mechanism provide an independent expert assessment and recommendations for the information of the participating States and the public. The Mechanism supports dialogue and a cooperative assessment of the commitments within the OSCE.   

The Moscow Mechanism is now being used for the sixth time during Russia’s war of aggression.  The previous Mechanisms have addressed human rights violations relating to Russia’s war of aggression (April and July 2022), forcible transfers and deportations of children (spring 2023), arbitrary arrests of Ukrainian civilians (spring 2024), and the treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war (autumn 2025) by the Russian Federation.  Finland has been actively involved in invoking all the above-mentioned Mechanisms.

The newly completed Moscow Mechanism report is a continuation of the 2023 Mechanism, which investigated forcible transfers and deportations of Ukrainian children to parts of Ukraine’s territory occupied by Russia, or to Russia. Finland has consistently emphasised accountability during Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Finland also prioritised the situation of Ukrainian children and their return during its Chairpersonship of the OSCE in 2025.