Several dozens of minors and children have joined the illegal armed groups that are still operating on the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. Some children were helping the gunmen wanting to play the game of war, others did it due to material needs, while some of them were forced to do so. However, it is difficult to understand the entire picture without taking into account each individual case (first published by Radio Svoboda).

To preserve the historical memory and ensure fair punishment for the perpetrators who deliberately involved minors into illegal armed groups, the Coalition ‘Justice for Peace in Donbas’ is documenting these cases.  The facts below are based on individual interviews with witnesses of involvement of children conducted during specialized monitoring.

‘Saur’

Minors often joined the gunmen voluntarily, sharing the idea of establishing the so-called ‘people’s republics’. At the same time, when pursuing their daily tasks, they tried to establish contact with people who held radically different political views.

‘In 2014, when it all started, he was 17 years old. He said he was 17 and he went to defend Motherland. And you, grown up men, did not go to defend ‘LPR’/’DPR’’, says a witness.

The 17-year old with a nickname ‘Saur’ was helping the ‘LPR’ gunmen at the directorate for combating organized crime in Stakhanov and already took part in combat. The young man was injured during one of the fights, which he was extremely proud of.

The Coalition does not have information about the fate of ‘Saur’.

Mark Vorzhev

An active young man Mark Vorzhev had been actively involved in the work of youth organizations before the military conflict in Eastern Ukraine. In particular, he volunteered for a fitness festival ‘Life Impulse’ in his hometown Severodonetsk. He also actively talked about his potential participation in the events of local public organizations.

Mark Vorzhev

‘He talked about the prospects of developing Severodonetsk. He wanted to get involved, organize events, and join these events… When everything started, Severodonetsk was seized by the terrorists, and he wrote me on Vkontakte, ‘Come out, don’t sit back, join the ‘militia’, help, and support’... It was April-May 2014. He was 16-17 years old then, not more. It was his 10th or 11th grade, so he was supposed to have a graduation’, says a witness.

What happened next to Mark is unknown, however, in September 2016, the young man deleted almost all pictures and posts proving his participation in the illegal armed group from his page Vkontakte.

Vadym

Not everyone joined the ‘LPR’ and ‘DPR’ groups voluntarily. Coalition ‘Justice for Peace in Donbas’ received information about minors being forced to fight for the gunmen through threats and blackmail.

It happened to a young man named Vadym who joined the ‘department of counterintelligence ‘Smersh’ of the so-called ‘State security committee’ of the ‘LPR’ group (Valeriy Bolotov announced establishment of the ‘state security committee’ and the ‘department of counterintelligence’ back in July 2014). Vadym had just finished the eighth grade of a secondary school and been admitted to a college before the beginning of the conflict.

‘[Vadym] signed a statement and they sent him to the frontlines, to the line of contact. They made him sign an obligation to follow commands, otherwise, his parents would be destroyed following the threats. [He] told me, ‘I see boys and girls in Luhansk walking around, hugging, drinking bear, and I have to do this stuff here… They went and took me to take part in some operations’, a testimony says.

‘Gerta’

It is not just the young men who join the armed units of the ‘DPR’ and ‘LPR’. Young girls are also helping the gunmen in different ways. According to her, their main motivation is revenge against Ukrainian volunteer battalions.

‘There was another militant, a girl who looked like she was 16-17. Her nickname was ‘Gerta’. She said she was from Severodonetsk and, allegedly, was fighting because the volunteers raped her or her mother. That’s what she said. For this reason, she joined the ‘LPR’ ‘militia’ and was fighting on their side’, said a witness.

According to the witness, in addition to direct participation in combat, Gerta was also torturing prisoners at the directorate for combating organized crime in Stakhanov.

‘She was also a real sadist, I think, she was a Thai boxing champion, and she tortured people in sophisticated ways. For instance, she shoved vegetables up a volunteer’s rectum’, says the interviewee.

Maksym Kovalenko

Most likely, Maksym inherited his pro-Russian views from his parents. Already at the beginning of administrative buildings seizures in Donbas, he did not hide that he was glad about these events. Maksym was from a difficult family and finishing 9th grade at Yasynuvata secondary school no. 5. Later, Maksym was proud of cooperating with the gunmen. He wrote, ‘we are defending our land from ‘ukrops’ here’.

‘He even wrote that he was wounded. I don’t know whether it was true, but he has some bandages on photos. According to him, they are carrying out duties at checkpoints near Spartaka village, Donetsk, i.e. to the north from Donetsk’, a witness told.

Maksym Kovalenko during hostilities

Maksym Kovalenko wearing a balaclava

In school, Maksym was not particularly successful in studies. According to a witness, the young man drank alcohol and could not read well in ‘8-9th grade, his reading was on the level of a first-grader’.

Vadym Polyanin

Sometimes, young men from one social group joined the illegal armed groups together. For instance, this was the case with Vadym Polyanin, a classmate and a friend of Maksym Kovalenko.

Vadym Polyanin (top), Maksym Kovalenko

‘Polyanin was very weak, I would say that the boy had low intellectual level. They got ‘2’s (‘fail’) for their studies… Polyanin was often influenced by other schoolchildren. He lacked willpower… The boys are from Yasynuvata, they are at the checkpoints in the northern part of Donetsk region, in Spartak village, between Donetsk and Avdiyivka’, says a witness.

Vadym’s father died from an illness, and his mother used to work in retail for some time. ‘The living conditions were bad, particularly for Polyanin’, says an interviewee.

Yevhen Zashtanchenko

Yevhen’s family had pro-Russian stance. According to a witness, his parents ‘watch only satellite TV, Russian channels’. When the young man joined pro-Russian gunmen, his relatives said, ‘our Zhenya is defending ‘Novorosiya’ now’.

According to a witness, ‘in late winter - early spring of 2015, there was information that he had completed a training for artillery fire controllers’.

At present time, there is not exact information about Yevhen’s whereabouts. A witness said that the young man could have moved to Russia with his family.

Yevhen Zashtanchenko on the list of militants

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.