According to Ukrinform, the HUR reported this on Facebook, citing the "Child Kidnappers" section of the War&Sanctions portal.

At the "Zarnitsa 2.0" competitions held in occupied Ukrainian territories in May 2026, Putin's "Movement of the First" taught children how to handle weapons and explosives and operate drones, while also spreading militaristic propaganda among minors.

The aim of such activities is to destroy children's Ukrainian identity and prepare them to take part in Russia's criminal war against their own country.

Read also:Kremlin directs billions of rubles toward militarization of children through Putin's foundation – CCD

The individuals identified include:

• Artur Orlov, head of the "Movement of the First";
• regional heads of the "Movement of the First" in the occupied Ukrainian territories – Alexei Lavrentyev, Marina Tsvyetinskaya, Ruyal Aliyev, Ekaterina Kozyr and Viktoriya Kostromina. During the competition in the Zaporizhzhia region, Kostromina said the military skills acquired by the children would become a "reliable foundation in life";
• Svetlana Bespalova, the so-called deputy minister of education, science and youth of the occupation administration in temporarily occupied Crimea. Since April 2022, she has been involved in implementing Russia's education and youth policies on the peninsula, promoting the integration of educational institutions into Russia's education system and introducing Russian educational and propaganda practices;
• Nikita Polyakov, chief of staff of the Russian "Yunarmiya" regional branch in the Kherson region. He regularly organizes propaganda events for children involving participants in Russia's war against Ukraine and representatives of Russian security forces.

Russia is carrying out the forced ideological "reprogramming" of Ukrainian children and preparing a future pool of recruits for its army as part of its aggressive neo-imperial policy, the HUR said.

Photo: HUR