Approximately 200 dead and 500 wounded – these are just the official data on casualties among children during the conflict in Donbas. These do not include children who took part in the military conflict either deliberately or involuntarily. Neither the law enforcement bodies, nor international organizations have adequate statistics on this issue. Therefore, officially, there are no minors fighting for the ‘DPR’ and ‘LPR’ groups recognized as terrorist organizations in Ukraine (first published by Radio Svoboda).

Public organization ‘Eastern-Ukrainian Center for Civic Initiatives, a member of the Coalition ‘Justice for Peace in Donbas’, has information about the broken lives of dozens of minors who have firsthand experience of war. Through personal interviews conducted by the Coalition’s documenters, we were able to identify the reasons for children joining illegal armed groups.

See also: Eight stories of children involved in military conflict in Donbas.

Absolute majority of interviewees stated that the main reasons for minors joining the militants was to ‘play war’. An eyewitness from Yasynuvata added to that thought. He personally knew two minors who went to war together, ‘For young people, especially minors, it’s the romance and heroism of war… I think it was enough’.

Vlad Fisko was fighting on the side of illegal armed groups in Slovyansk

The ‘risk group’ for getting involved in illegal armed groups includes adolescents, in particular, high school and vocational college students, as well as first-year students of local universities.

‘You know, children just want not to sit through lectures or classes… One student ’said to a teacher in industrial training, ‘Stepanivna! I will build a checkpoint under your name! I’m defending from the banderites!’ And they were really constructing something at the rail tracks’, teacher from Rubizhne says.

Arbitrariness and impunity multiplied by free circulation of weapons in many seized cities in Donbas only exacerbated the situation. For instance, according to a witness from Slovyansk, everyone could receive weapons following the seizure of the local police station. In addition, the age of a person wanting to get weapons did not matter. The main criteria was their willingness to defend the illegal ‘DPR’ group.

Another reason for voluntary involvement of minors were financial difficulties. There are reports that members of illegal armed groups received payments for the daily ‘service’.

‘Well, they received money there. When these banks were still working, they were paid. Something was given in cash; some money was transferred to a bankcard… At the checkpoint next to the *** school, there were boys who talked about receiving money… One of them said that he received 300 hryvnya on his card every day. I do not know which were they were paying him for. And they gave them per diem in cash’, witness of events in Slovyansk said.

See also: Donbas. Unchildish toys in the war of adults

Often, participation in the war was based on ideological views developed largely because of pro-Russian propaganda. Due to difference in political opinions, even the families of minors had difficulties communicating with minors who joined the militants. ‘He said it was necessary to protect Slovyansk from ‘ukrops’. It was clear that he had some imposed thoughts and did not perceive information when you talked to him.

Families of minors, especially parents and mentors (schoolteachers, sports coaches), often motivated them to take illegal actions. ‘There was even indoctrination by teachers in industrial training who had pro-Russian stance. ‘Boys, let’s go, boys, let’s go! We will take down the flag and hang up our Russian, LPR flag. It was approximately that way’, witness from Rubizhne said.

Young visitors of sports clubs also risked to be involved in illegal armed groups if their coaches had active pro-Russian position. In addition, some witnesses reasonably suspect that these coaches knew about the conflict in advance.

Mariya’s Villa, Slovyansk - a former site of military training for minors in support of illegal armed groups

‘They didn’t have just martial arts. It was… A survival style, more of a military training. I think their coach knew in advance. He was preparing them for something because it all happened very quickly’, witness from Slovyansk recalls.

Sometime, directly after training or during free time, students in sports clubs were offered to watch propaganda films or listen to ‘patriotic’ upbringing lectures.

‘About a 40-minute video… had the tone that Western Europe is providing weapons to Western Ukraine, and there are military bases and armed groups created to then conquer and impose their will on Donbas and Eastern Ukraine’, person from Slovyansk who saw these propaganda materials said.

Deceived Antonio Kwayye, who was defending checkpoints

In addition, adolescents had to go to war because of their families. For instance, a significant number of children who supported pro-Russian fighters came from troubled families. In these circumstances, the war saved them from ongoing domestic issues, and the feeling of being needed was compensating for the lack of parental love.

‘As far as I remember, there were two cases like that, from early years, when *** wanted to commit suicide from these everyday fights, fights, fights… he was about 10 years old… He stood on the balcony railing and shouted, ‘Either you stop fighting, or I jump’, witness from Severodonetsk said.