Behind the ‘Recreation’ Narrative: Russia Expands Child Transfers from Occupied Zaporizhzhia

Russian occupation authorities are preparing to transfer more than 400 Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia region to Russia by the end of the year, presenting the relocation as a “holiday trip.” 

The Gaze reports this, referring to Ukraine’s National Resistance Center.

Officials installed by Moscow in the occupied territories have announced a new “recreational program” for minors, stating that the children will be hosted in Russia’s Yaroslavl region. The initiative is framed publicly as an interregional exchange involving cultural excursions, sports and river tours along the Volga, according to Russian sources.

However, Ukrainian analysts warn that behind the language of tourism lies a deliberate and systematic relocation effort aimed at removing children from their home environment and placing them under long-term Russian influence.

“The narrative of sightseeing and leisure masks a different reality – a controlled transfer of Ukrainian children deeper into the Russian Federation,” the National Resistance Center said.

According to the Center, the process lacks transparency and oversight. Parents are not given real control over the decision, international humanitarian organizations are prevented from monitoring the trips, and Russia has not provided legal justification for moving minors across borders.

Ukrainian authorities stress that such relocations fit into a broader Kremlin strategy aimed at integrating occupied territories into Russia. By separating children from their local communities and exposing them to Russian educational and cultural systems, Moscow seeks to cultivate long-term loyalty to the occupying power, they warn.

“For many families, this is not a temporary excursion but a risk of prolonged separation and loss of connection with their own children,” the Center noted.

Ukrainian officials continue to call for international monitoring and pressure to stop forced relocations disguised as humanitarian or cultural initiatives.

As The Gaze informed earlier, according to a new study by Yale University, the number of places where Ukrainian children are being held in Russia has risen sharply, with more than 210 locations identified for their re-education and militarization.

Read also on The Gaze:  UK Intelligence: Russia Intensifies Efforts to Erase Ukrainian Identity in Occupied Territories