During a hearing at the Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the United States Congress this Wednesday (3), Ukrainian jurist Kateryna Rashevska stated that at least two children kidnapped by Russian invasion forces were sent to North Korea, more than 9 thousand kilometers from their homes.
The expert, who works at the Regional Center for Human Rights of Ukraine, presented a detailed statement to American congressmen about cases of deportation, “Russification” and state violence against minors forcibly removed from territories illegally occupied by the Kremlin.
According to Rashevska, Kiev has already identified “at least two cases of children from Eastern Ukraine deported by Russia to North Korea”. She reported that a 12-year-old boy, identified as Misha, from Donetsk, and a 16-year-old girl, identified as Liza, from Simferopol, Crimea, were sent to the Songdowon re-education camp in North Korea, where they were exposed to “ideological indoctrination and basic military training”.
According to the affidavit, children sent to the North Korean camp “were taught how to ‘destroy Japanese militarists’ and met North Korean veterans who, in 1968, attacked the U.S. military ship USS Pueblo, killing and injuring American military personnel.” The jurist stated that these episodes are part of a broader system of militarization and “forced Russification” promoted by Russia in Ukrainian territories that are currently under its control.
According to the expert, the Regional Center for Human Rights has already documented 165 re-education camps, distributed in occupied areas, in Russia, Belarus and North Korea. Rashevska stated that such structures aim to “break Ukrainian identity” through policies of cultural assimilation, forced adoption and compulsory granting of Russian citizenship to minors.
According to testimony, Moscow ignores obligations under international humanitarian law that require registration, monitoring and family reunification of evacuated children.
“No list was presented to the International Committee of the Red Cross. No assessment was made. No voluntary repatriation took place,” said Rashevska, as she criticized the Kremlin’s official policy that insists on treating forced deportations of minors as “evacuations.”
During the hearing, Rashevska called on the United States to increase sanctions and pressure Moscow for the immediate return of the minors.
