A large number of underage civilians were harmed by the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. However, there are other victims, in particular, those who joined illegal armed groups (read more about this in ‘Eight Stories of Children Involved in Military Conflict in Donbas’, first published by Radio Svoboda).

Coalition ‘Justice for Peace in Donbas’ interviewed over fifty witnesses of involvement of children in illegal armed groups. Their testimonies show that majority of those involved are adolescents, mainly boys aged 16-18 years. However, there were also girls who faced difficult military fate despite their young age.

‘There were approximately 25 people, boys and girls, who looked underage. I cannot state that they were under 16, however, they looked very young. There were many girls who were going through training for snipers. A girl sniper named Natalya told me that she had killed nine Ukrainian army soldiers’, witness says.

In most cases, adolescents in illegal armed groups of ‘DPR’ and ‘LPR’ served as guards. Their tasks included watching prisoners in cells and during forced labour. Often, young men told witnesses about their age. However, even appearance of the young gunmen left no doubts as to whether they were underage.

Bohdana Neshcheret  was helping out at the militants’ kitchen

In some cases, adolescents were involved in ‘service’ through deceit. They lied to older militants and provided a copy of their passport with the date of birth altered.

Young pro-Russian fighters also ‘served’ at checkpoints. Donbas locals have repeatedly told the Coalition they had seen minors, as a rule, wearing uniforms and bearing arms, specifically at checkpoints. They stopped drivers, checked the car and documents.

‘There was a group at the state security committee unit Smersh who served… possibly, in the direction of Stanytsya Luhanska; later, there was a shirt, and they continued near Vtorchermet, which is an exit towards the agrarian university. Well, this group included mostly teenagers, boys aged about 16 years and a bit older… They were all armed. It was a group, and the checkpoint was theirs… I know there were groups of ‘youngsters’, as they called them’, witness told in an interview.

Coalition also has information about an underage girl from Severodonetsk, nicknamed ‘Gerta’, who was torturing prisoners in Stakhanov city. According to a witness, she was also fighting on the side of ‘LPR’. She said that she was doing it because ‘volunteers’ sexually assaulted her mother. However, ‘Gerta’ was not the only child who showed cruelty towards illegally detained people. ‘Persons who were probably underage definitely took part in beating prisoners’, witness recalls.

Dozens of young men not only helped the gunmen, but were directly involved in combat on their side. Many of them were forced to do so following blackmail and threats to kill their family and next of kin.

16-year old Vadym Shnip holding RPG-16

According to another witness, who overheard a conversation of two pro-Russian militants, approximately twenty schoolchildren aged 17-18 were brought for ‘service’ once. ‘And five of them survive the first shooting’, witness states. Some witnesses ascertain that minors were aware of their hopeless situation.

A testimony says, ‘The boys were sure they would be used as cannon fodder, i.e. they would be sent first during combat, and professionals would only engage afterwards’.

There are also reports of using minors as spies. For instance, they were forced to ‘identify citizens with pro-Ukrainian stance and collect information at checkpoints’. In addition, they were spying among ordinary citizens and checking their allegiance to the ‘DPR’ and ‘LPR’ groups. ‘They listened to what people were saying, who came specifically to record [document], and ratted them out as ‘untrustworthy’’, witness says.

A witness who crossed the militants’ checkpoints between Kramatorsk and Slovyansk many times said that she saw two young boys. They looked like they were only 10 years old. The boys were moving dividers on the road.

Bohdana Neshcheret’s honours for ‘battle merit’

Bohdana Neshcheret holding a Kalashnikov rifle

Often, minors were simply serving pro-Russian gunmen through small tasks at checkpoints or in places of detention, help in moving cargo, constructing checkpoints and fortifications. Sometimes, they came with relatives, prepared food, and received money in return.

Involvement of children in pro-Russian meetings deserves particular attention. The Coalition has information that, in particular, in Severodonetsk, large numbers of students of vocational colleges took part in these events not least due to involvement of management of these institutions, which still holds high-level positions.

‘On 23 February 2014, in Severodonetsk, they announced that someone came to take down our Lenin. I came to the square to watch. There were a lot of people there. There were people who were pumping up the crowd. After this grandiose commotion, some people stayed to guard the statue of Lenin, brought barrels and started fires. These included students of vocational college no. 24. Then, I also met my friend, a judo coach, and he told me he’d been there and saw his students, he was making them leave. They said they had been sent by the college. [They were] 15-16 years old’, witness said.

Yuriy Kuzminov is still in charge of the said college. He used to be a member of the Party of Regions. Up until recently, there was a page with his name on ‘Myrotvorets’ website (as of 25 August 2014). The page said that Kuzminov was a separatist and propagandist, who was involved in organizing pro-Russian protests in Severodonetsk and supplying ‘titushky’. The page no longer exists.

Director of vocational college no. 24 in Severodonetsk on the list of separatists

Some interviewees said that, to their certain knowledge, minors were involved in pro-Russian protests on 23 February 2014 and 6 April 2014, as well as in beatings of pro-Ukrainian protesters in Severodonetsk on 6 April 2014.

Following participation in such protests, the same young people were involved in more serious violations. In Severodonetsk, during the seizure of the prosecution service building in May 2014, weapons were issued to minors. ‘I found out they really took part in the seizure of the prosecution [service building] with assault rifles. It happened on 7 May 2014… Very young boys ended up in these groups. They were definitely not 18 years old, approximately 17. Because they were students of vocational colleges’, witness says.

Coalition ‘Justice for Peace in Donbas’ is documenting cases of involvement of minors in illegal armed groups. Human rights defenders are certain that perpetrators in these cases are the group leaders who allow participation of minors in combat and, therefore, should be held responsible. The more evidence is collected, the closer prospects of prosecuting and holding them responsible are.

Everyone can help preserve history and restore justice in Donbas. Therefore, if you know about cases of involving minors in illegal armed groups, please, fill out a secure form on the Coalition’s website. The Coalition will not publish or transfer information to third parties without your written consent.