Study: More Than 200 Russian Facilities Used to ‘Re-educate’ Kidnapped Ukrainian Children
Yale researchers identify 210 locations and dozens of military training sites, saying thousands of children have been transferred from Ukraine during the war
A new study by the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab found that thousands of Ukrainian children taken during the war have been moved to at least 210 facilities across Russia for "re-education," with older youths reportedly sent to dozens of military academies or bases for training.
The lab, which has been tracking the transfers at Kyiv’s request, estimated that roughly 35,000 children have been taken since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Researchers identified 210 separate locations where children are being held and taught Russian patriotism, and flagged 40 academies, bases or similar sites where older youths are said to receive military instruction, including training in drone control and tactics.
The study compiled its findings using open-source intelligence, news reports, Russian government documents and satellite imagery, the researchers said. While the lab reported the locations and described the programs it alleges are in place, it acknowledged limitations in verifying whether children who received military training have been deployed in combat. Ukrainian officials have said that several young soldiers killed fighting for Russia were later identified as Ukrainians.
"This report demands action," Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said in a statement released alongside the study. He described the transfers as systemic deportation, illegal adoption and forced assimilation, and said Moscow was using Ukrainian children as a weapon against Ukraine and Europe.
The Yale report framed the transfers and programs as evidence that Russia is operating a large-scale system of reeducation and training, with dormitory facilities capable of holding tens of thousands of children for extended periods. Researchers said the pattern of transfers and institutional placements suggested an organized effort to raise children to speak Russian and adopt Russian national identity, rather than their native Ukrainian.
The alleged practices are among the war crimes cited by Kyiv and international prosecutors since the invasion. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin in 2023 that included allegations related to the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and dismissed the allegations as propaganda aimed at generating sympathy for Ukraine in the West.
Ukrainian leaders have pressed the international community for more direct responses. President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will convene a conference focused on kidnapped children during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session. Kyiv has also raised the issue in diplomatic engagements and sought additional documentation and evidence to support legal cases.
Observers said the Yale lab’s use of satellite imagery and open-source records aims to strengthen claims by locating facilities and documenting patterns of activity that align with reported transfers. The researchers noted that identifying specific children at particular sites remains difficult in the absence of access to Russian-held locations and direct confirmation from authorities managing the facilities.
The study’s publication adds to a growing body of reporting and investigations that have tracked child transfers since 2022. Rights groups and Ukrainian officials have described various outcomes for transferred children, including placement in institutional dormitories, informal adoptions by Russian families, and enrollment in Russian schools where curricula emphasize Russian history and language.
Russian authorities have at times characterized evacuations of children from front-line areas as humanitarian relocations intended to protect minors from fighting. Moscow has denied that it forcibly transfers children or subjects them to coercive re-education, and has criticized international reporting on the issue.
Humanitarian and legal advocates say clarifying the scale and mechanics of the transfers is important for documenting potential violations of international law and for pursuing remedies for affected families. Kyiv officials and the Yale researchers both urged coordinated international action to investigate, to press for the return of children, and to ensure accountability where laws were violated.
The Yale lab called for immediate steps to protect children's rights, to support reunification efforts, and to monitor facilities identified in the report. It also recommended that governments and international organizations use the open-source evidence to press for inspections and verifiable access to sites holding Ukrainian children.
Officials in Kyiv said the new research will be used in diplomatic and legal efforts at international forums, including the United Nations and the International Criminal Court. The study underscores a sustained concern among Ukrainian and international authorities that children taken during the conflict may be subject to long-term separation from their families, cultural assimilation and, in some cases, military training.
Researchers cautioned that further work is needed to corroborate individual cases and to document the current status of children at the listed sites. They said continued open-source monitoring and cooperation with humanitarian agencies will be essential to establish fuller verification and to support efforts to reunite children with their families when possible.